So, I just need to say that THE LORD IS SO GREAT! It just always amazes me at how awesome He really is and yet how closely He is constantly drawing me to Himself. I'm just floored at His goodness and faithfulness anew each day here, to the point of being quite emotinal about it most recently! As Chupa would say, "Wow!" So, I have been ill this week. It started with my stomach being a little funny toward the end of last week but I thought it was just my system adjusting to my drastically altered diet! I mean, drastically increasing your intake of meat and beans will cause any system to need some adjustment time. But then Monday I woke up feeling really lowsy, especially because my skin was hurting. I know, that's really weird and you've never heard of that. It usually only happens when I have a fever--I suspect it is primarily due to a supersensitivity on the part of my nervous system when it is fighting something, primarily manefested by the rising body temperature we commonly refer to as a fever. However, this time my skin was hurting but there was no fever, which indicated to me that my body was just wiggin' out over something. I also dealt all day with waves of nausea, a feeling of just being weak all day, and an overwhelming fatigue. I was a little concerned because I had dealt with this same mysterious illness back at the beginning of Februrary, before I left the states, and it lasted for FIVE MISERABLE DAYS. So, on top of not feeling well, my mind was highly unsettled because I was afraid that either 1) Montezuma had come to take his revenge, or 2) Mysterious Illness had returned for another round of attack. To top it all off, Monday night as I was reading in bed, I started feeling ten times worse and I was burning up. Turns out that by the time I went to bed that night I had finally spiked a fever of 100 degrees Farenheit!!! For someone (yes, that's me) whose body temperature is a whole degree lower than what is considered normal, that is a HUGE. So, needless to say I was feeling pretty lowsy when I went to sleep on Monday night, but I had earlier emailed a couple of friends and my parents to ask them to pray for healing because I did not want this to last another five days as it had in Feb. Well, I woke up yesterday morning feeling 90% better!! Every symptom was gone except that my stomach was still just slightly funky. Well, my parents had had me placed on the prayer chain yesterday, so that a lot of people were praying for me ALL DAY yesterday, and the result is that I remember the very moment lsat night when my stomach was "cured" of it's funk!!! All that was left was a very deep hunger from not having eaten much for two days. Then today I woke up and felt 100% better!!! It was so nice today to go about our activities and not have any problems at all--to feel totally myself again and even be able to eat three full meals!! I don't know why answered prayer surprises me, but I think I'm still just so amazed at how the Lord blesses me and fills every gap and whole in my life to overflowing! So, YEA FOR ANSWERED PRAYER!

Then today I got another support report from the A.M. home office! It would seem that my gross "income" has not only met my budget but actually surpassed it just a bit. The amazing thing is that there are still some donations that I know have been made but which did not make it into this deposit/report cycle, which means that my budget has been more surpassed than I'm even aware of right now!! Again, I find myself just in awe of the Lord's faithfulness and provision, especially for me, a wretched sinner. But He is so good to remind me that yes his grace is abundantly sufficient for me in all ways at all times for all things! Thanks to all of you for responding as you have and for being partners with me in this--partners in finance, partners in prayer, and partners of the heart! I am so blessed!!

Oh but there is MORE! This week I've been bolder about trying to converse more, and I've had the chance to talk some with two girls who have been attending the youth events of the past two weeks. They are both actually from Arrayanes, and their names are Favioal (who is 20, see left) and Brenda (who is 17, see right). They are sisters, and both are married, Brenda with a 4-month-old son. Brenda, however, is separated right now; she is trying to alter some circumstances that just made circumstances worse and sort of "broke the camel's back", if you will. She wants to make her marriage work, so please pray that her husband will be receptive to reconciling and that the Lord would protect their budding family and their committment to each other. Also please pray for these two husbands (I don't know their names) as neither of them attends church with their wives, who have just recently begun attending themselves. From what I undrstand, the Lord has been working on Faviola and Brenda's family for quite some time now, so please pray that this work will continue to expand straight into the hearts and lives of their husbands and that God will just turn all of their lives inside out! Please pray also for and increase in my ability to understand and converse in general, and specifically so that I may encourage these precious girls!

It's been such a great week so far with its ups and downs, and it's only half-way over! I am so excited to see what the Lord has in store for us next!!!