by Katie Garrett | Oct 13, 2016 | Praise report, Prayer request
I ended up going to an Urgent Care center in Connecticut on Monday evening, October 3 because my three hip wounds were infected, red and swollen. They were healing well until I had an allergic reaction to some band-aids which caused them to reopen and get infected. I had gotten an antibiotic the Friday before but I had an allergic reaction to that (!) which left two-thirds of my body covered with an itchy red rash. The Urgent Care doctor we saw that night was a Christian and a huge encouragement and help. He gave me an IV with a cocktail of meds for the rash and a new antibiotic. He also suspected I might have scarlatina so he tested me for that; later, that test came back positive, which means a lot of my rash is caused by strep/scarlet fever. We got home from Urgent Care at around 2 am.
Armed with my new meds but splotchy and itchy, Corey, Wheaton, and I got up at 2 am the next morning to leave for Senegal and traveled until we arrived in Senegal just after 1 am EST (5 am GMT/Senegal time) on Wednesday, when we crashed into beds at a guesthouse in Dakar and slept. On Sunday we traveled to spend the day with Emma and Molly at their school and had a wonderful time with them. On Monday we made the trip home to Kaffrine. We were warmly welcomed by neighbors and friends.
Tamxarit meal from a friend–millet couscous on the bottom and a separate dish of meat and vegetable sauce.
Tuesday night was Tamxarit, a Muslim holiday, so three different neighbors brought us bowls of millet couscous and meat sauce, which was a sweet homecoming gift.
Prayer requests:
- It is in the high 90’s and extremely humid. I still have itchy rash all over my neck, torso, arms, and legs so I am pretty miserable. But the three infection points are now well healed. The doc said the scarlet fever can take several weeks to clear up. My main prayer request is for health and strength: for the itchiness to stop!
- We thank God for bringing us back to Kaffrine and for our guard and househelper who kept our home, our dog, and our rabbits in good shape during our four months away.
- We are beginning to gather what we need to do another homestudy update for our adoption. We are going to do the update without a home visit this time. The agency said that USCIS might accept this or they might require us to find a social worker to do another home visit. Please pray that we will have everything submitted by the Dec. 4th expiration date, and that USCIS will extend our approval without requiring another home visit. Pray too for things to move forward on the Guinea side!
- Pray for our readjustment to life here. It is hot and humid and there are many challenges in day-to-day living. We have less emotional and spiritual support here than we have in the US and the needs around us are myriad. There is so much work we want to do — please pray for the Lord to guide us moment by moment into His priorities for our time and energy.
- Wheaton and I started her 6th grade schoolwork on Wednesday. Pray for her transition back to homeschooling and for a good school year for us, as well as for Emma and Molly at their school.
- Pray for the Sanderfers and the Gallaghers as they work to come join us in the work here. We praise God for calling them and pray that He will bring them to Senegal very soon!
We are so grateful for and dependent on your sustaining prayers; we are so weak…
Katie
by Katie Garrett | Aug 4, 2016 | Prayer request
A friend recently brought some aid to a Wolof village near where we live that was devastated by fire. She sent us this photo of the chief–we were excited to see that he is holding his copy of Genesis in Wolofal!
Before we even left Senegal I started trying to get appointments in order to diagnose the source of the intermittent but increasing pain I have had in my left hip for the last 6+ years and what might be done to fix it. Our insurance company and the fact that it takes a long time to schedule medical appointments has made this a slow process. But I was finally able to get an MRI done on July 7. This test showed some tearing of the lining of my hip. This morning I saw an orthopedic surgeon and scheduled surgery (arthroscopy labral repair).
The surgery is scheduled for Sept 2 — the same date we had tickets to return to Senegal. Obviously, I won’t be flying that day! The doctor said I will need to stay in the US for one month after the surgery. So we are working to change our plans. Because Emma and Molly missed six weeks of school at the end of the school year, they really shouldn’t miss any more school. So we’re planning to send them back to Senegal with some close friends who are also in the States for the summer and who are returning to Senegal on Sept 6. The girls know this family well and are excited to get back to their friends at school. Wheaton will stay with us (and start homeschooling?). Lord willing, we will all be back in Senegal before the mid-term school break in October.
The doctor says this kind of surgery has a 95% success rate so I am very hopeful that this procedure will enable me to be more active again and to be pain-free.
We are so grateful that I can get this surgery while we are here in the US and that it will only mean a one-month delay in our return to Senegal. We need to do some shuffling of our plans and I don’t look forward to the surgery or having to use crutches, but this is an answer to prayer and I am really thankful! We already know that we can continue borrowing the van we are driving and that we can stay in the same house for the extra month. God is taking such tender care of us!
Financial support update
We came to the States needing to raise an additional $1,500 per month and we have been so encouraged as the Lord has provided more than half of that amount in just two months. Some supporters have increased their monthly pledges and we have also been blessed by some new partners who have committed to being part of our financial support team. Thank you for giving and thank you for praying!
We still need $600/month in order to return to Senegal fully funded in October. Please let us know if you are interested in supporting us monthly, bimonthly, or annually, as He provides, for this next four-year term. Don’t hesitate to email us if you have any questions about how our financial support works.
by Corey Garrett | May 19, 2016 | Praise report, Prayer request
We are a week away from leaving Kaffrine en route to a plane to the USA for our three-month home assignment! Lots of excitement about seeing family and friends for the first time in three years, as well as many last-minute things to take care of here in Kaffrine for our three-month absence.
Check out our schedule and let us know if you want to get together while we are in your area. We’d love to get to share with you face-to-face about this last term and what God is doing here.
- May 29: Arrive in Charlotte, NC
- June 8-15: In Asheville, NC
- June 15: Fly to Connecticut
- June 19: @ the Barn (Covenant Presbyterian)
- June 26: @ Trinity Episcopal Church Tariffville
- July 10: @ Bakerville Methodist Church
- July 11-25: Midwest road trip (PA, OH, IN, IL, IA)
- July 31: @ Ft. Square Pres. Church, Quincy, MA
- Aug. 7: @ Valley Brook Community Church
- Aug 9-15: @ Browncroft Church, Rochester, NY
- Aug. 17-26: In Maine
- August 21: @ Windham Baptist Church, Windham, ME
- Aug. 28: Goodbye Sunday at the Barn
- Sept. 2: Fly back to Senegal
We saw some camels on the way to the Workshop!
In other news, the Wolofal Workshop went well, and although we had some last-minute cancellations, we had seven great participants who gave all their energy and left reading, writing, and typing in Arabic script.
Wheaton finished her school year yesterday and so will be free during the summer in the US! I doubt the other two will be so fortunate….
We’re looking forward to seeing all you who are Stateside soon!
by Corey Garrett | Apr 22, 2016 | Prayer request
a shot of our last workshop
Next week, 25-29 April, we’ll be hosting another Wolofal workshop. I’ll be teaching a group of interested Senegalese Christians and missionaries how to read and write Wolof and other Senegalese languages in Arabic script.
Pray for good stamina for all of us during this intense week-long workshop and for the families and ministries of these fellow workers as they take time out to equip themselves further for ministry.
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