We are heading on the road to my parents place in Sussex today right after exams are finished. We are so thankful that we have a neighbour couple who are more than willing to look after our animals and house while we are away... what a blessing.
Pete will be home on Saturday so we'll be heading back then. He has to go out on the road on Sunday again.... then as soon as he gets home we are off to Moncton and he flies to Ft. McMurray next Friday to hopefully find work. Something that will help us get out of debt and get us set in a course that will help us meet our 'future' goal of him working 3 months of the year to pay for our living expenses in Africa (after the boys graduate). Then upon return we could focus more on raising money for the projects we have the desire to start (instead of taking the time to raise money for living expenses). We'll see how that goes (in the future)!
As it stands right now I need to get back to Namibia and Angola to deal with our earthly possessions. Many forget that we have things still in both countries. It is difficult to know how to proceed but I know that I do not wish to burden anyone for much longer... so I think the best course to follow is to get back there and sort things for sale, give away and to ship back to Canada. As many of you remember we were expecting to stay in Angola for the duration of our ministry so we packed up everything (storing only photo albums and a few little heirloom things in Canada). Our children especially would like to have some of their memory items here with them. Anyway... once Pete has a good job and we have been able to get back on track a little I will be heading that way to deal with things. Please pray for the finances to be able to go and for wisdom in how to deal with stuff when I get there.
Well... I need to finish packing and doing laundry.
Toodles,
Charlene
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Janet and Jim Holden's visit in August
RIP Jim Holden... may you enjoy being in the presence of God, now and forevermore!
Janet, may God wrap you in His arms and may you feel His presence in this time of grief.
Thinking of Friends from Angola...
Last night we got the news that our friend Jim Holden passed away. He had several surgeries on his kidneys in the last while, and in the end succumbed to infection. He was in his early 50's and so it was a shock to the family.
On our way to Angola in 2005 we spent a couple of weeks in Namibia waiting for our ride into Angola. During our first few days there we were introduced to Janet Holden. We spent the evening visiting and getting to know her and at the end of the evening she offered to take Talitha and Meagan up to Angola with her on the taxi/bus. The girls were very excited to accept the invitation as they were already bored out of their minds at Otjari House in Windhoek. So we accepted her offer and the girls were off with Janet LATE one night. They made is safely to Angola and spent the next several weeks living with Holden family and learning a lot about Angola from them.
In the 3 years in Africa (Angola and Namibia) we had many opportunities to visit one or more of the Holden's at a time. They would stop over at our house either on their way out of Angola or their way back in (or both). Janet often showed up at our doorstep with malaria and thankfully I had several leftover packages of coartem sitting in my medicine cabinet and we had her nursed back to health in no time. Jim was the quiet type but we enjoyed visiting with him and talking about his passion for ministry, which included his English school in Lubango and the ministry that flowed from that. From what I gathered he really didn't like to leave Angola, he was generally impatient to get back when he was out of country!
We are thankful that they were able to come for a visit in August 2009, although short we were able to spend some time catching up. We dearly love the Holden family and have been blessed to have them in our lives. We sympathize with Janet and the kids, but we rejoice with Jim as he is now in the presence of Jesus... what JOY! Life on this earth is short... what are we doing to make every moment count? May we glorify God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength as we live out each day for HIM!
God Bless you Holden family as you seek to serve Christ with your lives! We love you and miss you and are praying for you in this difficult time.
Charlene
On our way to Angola in 2005 we spent a couple of weeks in Namibia waiting for our ride into Angola. During our first few days there we were introduced to Janet Holden. We spent the evening visiting and getting to know her and at the end of the evening she offered to take Talitha and Meagan up to Angola with her on the taxi/bus. The girls were very excited to accept the invitation as they were already bored out of their minds at Otjari House in Windhoek. So we accepted her offer and the girls were off with Janet LATE one night. They made is safely to Angola and spent the next several weeks living with Holden family and learning a lot about Angola from them.
In the 3 years in Africa (Angola and Namibia) we had many opportunities to visit one or more of the Holden's at a time. They would stop over at our house either on their way out of Angola or their way back in (or both). Janet often showed up at our doorstep with malaria and thankfully I had several leftover packages of coartem sitting in my medicine cabinet and we had her nursed back to health in no time. Jim was the quiet type but we enjoyed visiting with him and talking about his passion for ministry, which included his English school in Lubango and the ministry that flowed from that. From what I gathered he really didn't like to leave Angola, he was generally impatient to get back when he was out of country!
We are thankful that they were able to come for a visit in August 2009, although short we were able to spend some time catching up. We dearly love the Holden family and have been blessed to have them in our lives. We sympathize with Janet and the kids, but we rejoice with Jim as he is now in the presence of Jesus... what JOY! Life on this earth is short... what are we doing to make every moment count? May we glorify God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength as we live out each day for HIM!
God Bless you Holden family as you seek to serve Christ with your lives! We love you and miss you and are praying for you in this difficult time.
Charlene
Friday, January 22, 2010
Slept better last night...
Phew..... slept better the last few nights. That feels good. I have started the second of the set of medication that I am taking for my back. I have found some relief (especially in my left leg where I feel the sciatic nerve pain).
I have been busy with some of my crafting projects... it helps to keep me busy when my body is unwilling to keep up! What a blessing to have things to do with my hands.
Pete is looking for work out west again. Please pray with us that he finds something that is seasonal and pays really well. This is our goal... after the kids graduate we desire to return to Africa and upon our return we would like to be able to support 'our' financial needs by having Pete travel back and forth (seasonal work that would take care of our needs for the full year)... then we could concentrate on trying to raise funds for projects and not our personal needs. This is our desire... and we'll see how God works things out. Some would suggest that we just be content with getting by at the job he currently has, but because we have long term goals to return to ministry this is not the ideal... we need to work toward the goal... not just make ends meet. Part of working toward that goal was for me to take a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course... I successfully completely that in September and am now certified to teach ESL.
Meagan and Trevor have exams starting next week. All 3 of them are doing well in school this year. They have adjusted finally and seem to be making some good friends. Meagan plans to go to The Philippines after school to take a midwifery course... she daydreams about delivering babies! She would like to work for a year first, so it looks like she and Talitha will head out to Kamloops after graduation and get jobs out there. Talitha has been a big help as my chauffeur... she takes the kids to their youth groups, picks them up from school when needed, run errands into town, does my grocery shopping... that is helpful!
Well... I must head to bed now... just thought I would fill you in a little on what's happening at the Knightly's!
Night,
Charlene
I have been busy with some of my crafting projects... it helps to keep me busy when my body is unwilling to keep up! What a blessing to have things to do with my hands.
Pete is looking for work out west again. Please pray with us that he finds something that is seasonal and pays really well. This is our goal... after the kids graduate we desire to return to Africa and upon our return we would like to be able to support 'our' financial needs by having Pete travel back and forth (seasonal work that would take care of our needs for the full year)... then we could concentrate on trying to raise funds for projects and not our personal needs. This is our desire... and we'll see how God works things out. Some would suggest that we just be content with getting by at the job he currently has, but because we have long term goals to return to ministry this is not the ideal... we need to work toward the goal... not just make ends meet. Part of working toward that goal was for me to take a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course... I successfully completely that in September and am now certified to teach ESL.
Meagan and Trevor have exams starting next week. All 3 of them are doing well in school this year. They have adjusted finally and seem to be making some good friends. Meagan plans to go to The Philippines after school to take a midwifery course... she daydreams about delivering babies! She would like to work for a year first, so it looks like she and Talitha will head out to Kamloops after graduation and get jobs out there. Talitha has been a big help as my chauffeur... she takes the kids to their youth groups, picks them up from school when needed, run errands into town, does my grocery shopping... that is helpful!
Well... I must head to bed now... just thought I would fill you in a little on what's happening at the Knightly's!
Night,
Charlene
Watching the boys sledding...
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Late Night
Even though I am on medication that is supposed to help me relax and fall asleep... I can't! Why you ask? Well because my dear husband is back from being on the road and when he is falling asleep and for the rest of the night he snores, grunts and groans so loud I have to put earplugs in. I truly cherish my sleep while he is gone (since it is something I have done mostly without since having children), so I am not sure what to do about this. I could go without sleeping for the 2 or 3 nights that he is here or I could play musical beds and go sleep somewhere else. All I know is that sleep is essential.... positively essential!
So off I go to try and get me some! ;-)
Night,
Charlene
So off I go to try and get me some! ;-)
Night,
Charlene
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Pain
This last few days has been interesting... in that now that I "know" that there is a reason for my pain I have felt that I can actually 'feel' it. Does that make sense? For many years it has been implied that the pain is all in my head, when in reality I knew I could actually feel it.
I am pretty sure that my first injury (my lower herniated disc) was when I worked at a meat market in Prince George back in 1987. I was lifting things that were way too heavy and one day I ended up spasming and going home, the pain actually made me vomit and when I did so I spasmed again with such force I could not stand straight up, and remained in that pain for days. My dear husband came from a family of 5 strong boys and an extremely strong father, so I am pretty sure that he just felt that I should 'buck up'. Sadly I tried... only to continue to damage my back more over the last 22 years.
The herniated disc in the upper back I believe happened gradually over time... 4 babies in 6 years, carrying 2 on my hip at the same time (Trevor and Tavis are one year, one month and one day apart), and all the regular everyday house hold maintenance attributed to the injury. When the boys were babies I was told by 3 doctors, a physiotherapist and massage therapist that I should not LIFT anything... pretty much impossible when you have 2 babies that need to nap, have diapers changed, be soothed, etc. At one point my mom came and stayed for a month and after being relieved of ALL duties and going to massage I recovered enough to carry on!
Every day I feel tension in my neck, shoulders and upper back and it has been that way for so many years now I can't remember having a day where I didn't feel PAIN, but for the first time I have given myself permission to actually FEEL it... because now I know there is a real reason for it... it is not in my head after-all. Tomorrow I go to town, I am going to pick up the prescriptions that the doctor gave me. It is a pain management program (heavy duty drugs). At first I was hesitant... I did a lot of research and asked some friends (one being a pharmacist) what their opinion was and I have decided to at least give it a try. I would like to test and see what it would be like to have a day where I feel NO PAIN... hmmmm... not sure that is possible... but I am going to give it a try. I also had a few friends recommend ART (Active Release Technique) and apparently there is a certified technician in the Miramichi. I am going to line up an appointment to see if that might make a difference as well. Thankfully, for now, we have medical coverage... we were without (except for basic government coverage) until September and this last year and half has taken a toll financially when it comes to medical procedures (trips to and from specialists, back and forth into town, carpal tunnel hand splints, etc etc etc) and medicine.
So I can say that things are looking up... even though I am still in pain I have hope that one day things may be resolved and I may not have to live with constant chronic nagging pain! That would be amazing!
I appreciate your prayers.
Love,
Charlene
I am pretty sure that my first injury (my lower herniated disc) was when I worked at a meat market in Prince George back in 1987. I was lifting things that were way too heavy and one day I ended up spasming and going home, the pain actually made me vomit and when I did so I spasmed again with such force I could not stand straight up, and remained in that pain for days. My dear husband came from a family of 5 strong boys and an extremely strong father, so I am pretty sure that he just felt that I should 'buck up'. Sadly I tried... only to continue to damage my back more over the last 22 years.
The herniated disc in the upper back I believe happened gradually over time... 4 babies in 6 years, carrying 2 on my hip at the same time (Trevor and Tavis are one year, one month and one day apart), and all the regular everyday house hold maintenance attributed to the injury. When the boys were babies I was told by 3 doctors, a physiotherapist and massage therapist that I should not LIFT anything... pretty much impossible when you have 2 babies that need to nap, have diapers changed, be soothed, etc. At one point my mom came and stayed for a month and after being relieved of ALL duties and going to massage I recovered enough to carry on!
Every day I feel tension in my neck, shoulders and upper back and it has been that way for so many years now I can't remember having a day where I didn't feel PAIN, but for the first time I have given myself permission to actually FEEL it... because now I know there is a real reason for it... it is not in my head after-all. Tomorrow I go to town, I am going to pick up the prescriptions that the doctor gave me. It is a pain management program (heavy duty drugs). At first I was hesitant... I did a lot of research and asked some friends (one being a pharmacist) what their opinion was and I have decided to at least give it a try. I would like to test and see what it would be like to have a day where I feel NO PAIN... hmmmm... not sure that is possible... but I am going to give it a try. I also had a few friends recommend ART (Active Release Technique) and apparently there is a certified technician in the Miramichi. I am going to line up an appointment to see if that might make a difference as well. Thankfully, for now, we have medical coverage... we were without (except for basic government coverage) until September and this last year and half has taken a toll financially when it comes to medical procedures (trips to and from specialists, back and forth into town, carpal tunnel hand splints, etc etc etc) and medicine.
So I can say that things are looking up... even though I am still in pain I have hope that one day things may be resolved and I may not have to live with constant chronic nagging pain! That would be amazing!
I appreciate your prayers.
Love,
Charlene
Monday, January 11, 2010
Results of MRI and CT Scan
I have gotten the results of my MRI back. I do indeed have a bulged disc in my upper back. The CT Scan a while back showed one in my lower back. From what I can tell the one in the lower back must have been aggravated during surgery and pinched a nerve which gave me sciatic pain in my left leg (for MONTHS... only now is it starting to be relieved). The one in the upper back I am sure is what is causing all of my neck, shoulder and upper back pain (along with my arms tingling and falling asleep). It is nice just knowing, but now I am going to have to make some decisions about how "I" want to deal with this.
For now I will research and see what the best alternatives are and continue with the pain killers to subside the pain. I would appreciate your prayers for a GOOD solution that is LASTING... so that one day I may live PAIN FREE! Can't really imagine what that would be like but sure would like to find out!
Will keep you all posted,
Charlene
For now I will research and see what the best alternatives are and continue with the pain killers to subside the pain. I would appreciate your prayers for a GOOD solution that is LASTING... so that one day I may live PAIN FREE! Can't really imagine what that would be like but sure would like to find out!
Will keep you all posted,
Charlene
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