The enemy is at work!

Only 4 more days until departure!

This past weekend, I took my kiddios to my mother, as I have done for the past few summers.  My children are the oldest grandchildren on both sides, and because we live so far away, they don't get alot of grandparent time.  My mom lives in Michigan and their other grandma lives in California, so summer is a great time for them to hang out and enjoy their time away from school.  As usual, I plan to take one day to drive there, stay the night and then drive back the next day.  Everyone knows the plan for me taking this trip, and we've been working on communications: making sure grandma's computer has Skype, making sure my oldest son has Skype on his PDA phone, and discussing times when I'll be able to contact.  The kiddios have also been helping in preparations for my trip.  Because the Mudrik's children are around the same ages of my kiddios, they've taken great interest in them.  My daughter's fifth grade class held a mini-drive, and collected books and a few pairs of brightly colored (and seriously cool!) socks for the girls, since that's the big style here.  The boys have a video game that they are sending to the Mudrik's son from their own collection.  I appreciate their hearts to want to give, and be connected with a family of believers that they may never meet, from way across the world.

Anyway, I got to mom's and was able to spend a bit of time with her and my brother, even stopping by my brother's house to see my neices.  Then we went back to mom's house so I could get some sleep before heading back out on the road the next day.

The past few times I've visited mom's house, I've started to have minor allergy issues.  Itchy, runny eyes, runny nose, even some itchy skin.  I am allergic to only a few things that I know of: Ibuprofen, Cinnamaldahyde, and my mom's dog, Benji.  (That last thing is the sad one, since Benji is the only dog in my life that I have ever really liked...and up until she moved into her new apartment, I could be around him with no problems).  So when it was time for me to go to sleep, we made sure the dog was out of the room, and closed the door.  After trying for awhile to get to sleep, I found I couldn't, because my eyes were hurting.  I went to the bathroom to wash my face, and realized that my eyes were swollen.  At that point, I was just tired, so I told my mom not to worry, I'd just go sleep in the car.  My daughter brought a pillow from home, so I used that as well as a blanket from my trunk, and tried to settle in for the night. 

(This is not me, but this is what I looked like...well, maybe not the lips, but the eyes for sure!)

That didn't work.  When I looked in the mirror, I realized that my eyes were almost swollen shut.  I called my son on the phone, told him to let mom know I needed to go to the hospital, because I was having an all out anaphalactic episode.  My mom helps run the Emergency room unit at the local hospital, and got me there as soon as she possibly could.  My face was completely numb, and my nasal passages had closed, so I was breathing through my mouth.

I don't remember alot of what happened in the hospital, but boy am I grateful for my mom!  I guess she'd been talking to me the entire car ride there, because she told them everything that was wrong with me.  It also helps that she has close relationships with the doctors and nurses there, as their coworker, and I know I received the best care possible.  I was given a cocktail of an IV, and drifted off into a medical stupor.  I don't know how long I was asleep, but a nurse came in, and told me that alot of the swelling had gone down in my face, so I could go.  I was given a large dose of a steroid (of which I am still taking, and weaning off of), and discharged right then.  What seemed to take all night really only took about 3 hours, from when I first noticed until discharge.  I remember my mom asking me on the way back to the house if I wanted to check into a hotel room...I said no, I'd just go sleep in the car, since a hotel would be a waste of money (I planned to be on the road by 9am).  I did just that...I think I was so done in by the medicine, I could have slept on concrete!

It's funny the way the enemy works.  Satan seems to know exactly how to hit each and every person...for me, it was anaphalaxis.  I remember my mom feeling bad on the ride home...she remembered that she had cinnamon scented candles in the room where I was trying to sleep.  Candles so old that they probably didn't even have scent left in them...between those candles, and Benji being free to roam the house as he pleases, I was stuck in a histimine haven! 

One week from departure, and Satan tries to stop the work that God has planned out.  It was written before I ever thought about it, and this trip is God's will.  He has a plan, and has chosen me to be one of the people to help Him in this case.  "Here am I; Lord, send me." (Isaiah 6:9).

On another note, on the way to work this morning, I prayed.  For guidance, for patience, and not to worry.  My local Christian radio station then began playing the song that helped me name this blog, and I KNEW that everything would be alright.  God's hand is all over me, this situation and this mission trip.  4 days, and we will be there.  Let's go!

Here are the lyrics that inspired the title of this blog: from the song "I Refuse" by Josh Wilson:

I can hear the least of these, crying out so desperately

And I know we are the hands and feet of You, oh God

So if You say move, it's time for me to follow through

And do what I was made to do

And show them who You are

I don't want to live like I don't care

I don't want to say another empty prayer

Oh, I refuse to sit around and wait for someone else

To do what God has called me to do myself

I could choose not to move

But I refuse

So now, as I finish my packing, and prepare to depart with my team, I ask that you stay tuned.  We will be blogging from Prague, and updates will come from my team members as well as myself.  I look forward to this experience, and thank God for the opportunity to Go and Do, and Refuse not to move!

Thanks for being faithful readers, so far!

Dekuji!
~yonna