Graduation and health issues

 

We’re celebrating! Lindsey has now graduated from high school! We’re proud of her academic and athletic accomplishments, but most of all we are thrilled to see the godly and caring young woman she is becoming. It was extra special to be able to celebrate this milestone together with family and friends who helped make the weekend memorable.

Lindsey is gearing up to work a couple of jobs this summer in preparation for heading to college. She will attend John Brown University and begin a major in Kinesiology. Please pray for her transition as she prepares to leave home at the same time that we prepare to return to Ecuador. In June the three of us will take a trip back to Ecuador. Lindsey will join her classmates at Alliance Academy as an honorary graduate in their ceremony. She is looking forward to celebrating with her friends in the southern hemisphere as well. Scott and Kristi will both have opportunities to connect with their online students during our time there too. Please pray for efficient travel and a productive time in Ecuador. For July we will be back in the US taking advantage of a summer schedule. We’ll be visiting some of our supporters, taking a family vacation and working to transition back to Ecuador. August means taking Lindsey to JBU and then traveling from there back to Quito. July and August are going to be busy and stressful in many ways. We need your prayers to support us in the next few weeks. Jaden (Joel’s wife) has developed Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension. The pressure in her skull is too high and it is giving her severe, debilitating headaches as well as blurred vision. Doctors have also expressed concern about the potential of blindness due to injury to the optic nerves. They have drained fluid and are giving medication to try to control the pressure. She is finding a little relief, but the side effects of the medication are also undesirable. Joel and Jaden are investigating options for the best care for her. They are also concerned about paying medical costs that won’t be fully covered by insurance. If you’re interested you can follow this link to learn more and consider whether you would like to help financially. Kristi is also facing health challenges with her arthritis. She already has 4 joint replacements and recently her knee is showing signs of eventually needing the same thing. She has a torn meniscus as well as a joint worn by arthritis. Some days are better than others; she always limps, and sometimes she feels like getting from one end of the house to another is about all she can do. Pray for relief from pain to be able to carry out our plans for the coming weeks. Pray as well regarding the timing of a potential knee replacement. How would you feel if our president suddenly dissolved Congress and began a 6-month period of rule by decree? Although that’s not going to happen in the United States, apparently that is a constitutional move in Ecuador. It happened last week. Ecuador is facing increasingly serious social and political tension. Please pray for Ecuador and its people. You can read more here: