His Mercies Are New...

Every morning. I have had to remind myself that His mercies are new every morning. Try not to think ahead. Try not to get overwhelmed. His grace will take care of tomorrow and then the next day we will do it all again.

As 2014 wrapped up I had a very uneasy feeling for most of November and December. I just had a feeling that 2015 would be a challenging year. Well...it has been.

Amanda was air evaced to Kenya on January 2 and on February 8 we returned to North Carolina to visit with her doctors and find out the treatment she needed. The cause of her going to the hospital on January 1st was Pneumonia, but dating back to last May, when she was sick, her doctors have been focused on her kidneys.

The last few weeks we have been going to her doctors and taking labs every couple of weeks. Unfortunately her kidney function has not been getting better, and after a biopsy last week, it was determined that Amanda will need a kidney transplant.

The news was not what we wanted to hear, as her kidney function is around 12% right now. We meet with a nurse yesterday to discuss the process of getting on a transplant waiting list as well as the possibility of Amanda needing dialysis. We are waiting to hear back from the kidney center at Duke University at this time. There is a high possibility she will need dialysis, although we are praying she won't. It is all a bit overwhelming.

The best scenario is that we find someone who would be willing to donate a kidney to Amanda. Because a donor can be living, it would allow Amanda to not have to wait on the waiting list that could take a number of years before she could get one.

It has been hard not being in Ethiopia. Our home is there, our ministry is there. Ermias is there and our loyal dogs Max & Molly are there. We have pictures on our wall and many precious memories have been made inside that compound. We have made it a home for 5 years we can't be there right now. The adoption is not done, and our work permits need to be renewed by July 1st.

Life is hard. Trust God.

There are so many people going through struggles far greater than ours, we are grateful for God's continued protection and encouragement.

Please continue to pray for Amanda, for wisdom and for the coming days ahead. I will be hopefully going back to Ethiopia in June to renew our work permits and residencies.

Our love and gratefulness,

Craig & Amanda