Ministry Update

Hello all! There have been a few changes to my 6 month ministry trip so here is an update for those of you that are interested. The places I will travel to will remain the same, but the order has changed. I will now be starting in the Dominican Republic on June 30th and then I will go from there to Kenya. From Kenya I will go to Thailand where I will stay through November, ending in South Africa in December. Also, I am still just over $4000 short of my $10,000 goal. Depending on funds I may need to alter the itinerary. I am soooo exited about my trip and cannot wait to see all the wonderful things God has planned. I also look forward to sharing my experience with you all! Many blessings to you! Thanks for all your love and support!! Here is the IGN blog for those of you that want to track my journey. http://invisionglobal.blogspot.com/

Blessings,
Cindie

Possible Surgery for Becca

Below is the latest update on Becca from her Dad...

We have reached the eleventh hour. Given the optimistic tone of previous e-mails, I imagine some of you will find this unhappy news a surprise. According to two hearing tests taken this last week, Becca is largely deaf in the left ear. Furthermore, a recent MRI and CT scan indicate that Becca's left cochlea is experiencing "ossification"--a hardening that is the known consequence of some forms of meningitis. In short, a number of medical professionals are now recommending that Becca receive a cochlear implant, a rather obtrusive device that attaches both inside and outside of the skull and around the ear to send electrical impulses to the auditory nerve. Because a post-meningitis patient's cochlea can fully harden in a matter of weeks (thereby preventing the possibility of an implant), the ear specialist is urging that the surgery be performed as soon as possible--even as early as next week. Amy and I have the weekend to let everything sink in. We have few options but surgery. Finally, the tests also indicate that Becca's right ear has not improved and may also be a candidate for a cochlear implant.

Why might all of this seem like such a dramatic turn of events? Because Becca appears as though she's hearing many things. I've been contemplating my experiment with the headphones and have concluded that recognizing familiar tunes doesn't require as much hearing as I wanted to suppose. The best explanation we can ultimately give is that Becca is a very bright little girl with a remarkable memory. Through a combination of lip-reading, following sound patterns, predicting some responses and actually catching some syllables, her mind is quickly interpreting the "new language" now presented to her. She hears only a fraction of what most people are able to hear, and somehow she sufficiently fills in the gaps. We are told, however, that Becca could not attend regular school classes in her current condition.

Rebecca has remained pretty upbeat during this time. She hasn't complained, and she laughs and plays about as much as she used to. She is definitely more isolated, yet at the same time more perceptive. As for me, I very much miss the regularity of our story times together. More than this, I wonder just how far-reaching the circumstances of recent weeks will be. I am thankful for the existence of a device that can synthesize sounds when ears fail to work properly. I also believe that Jesus heals, even now. Up until the morning of surgery, I will continue to hold out hope for the latter.

With love,

Dave

The "Office"

You would think that since I am in Florida that I would be sitting on the beach, drinking margaritas, and soaking in the sun... however truth be known we spend many of our days sitting at the counter in Tim's kitchen working. It is not uncommon for us to work from early in the morning to late in the evening. It is 9:30 pm now and Tim and I are still hard at work. We have not even eaten dinner yet. Here is a picture of our kitchen counter office.

Update on Becca Salmonson from her Dad

below is an update on Becca Salmonson from her Dad Dave.

Clearly, it has been some time since our last update on Becca. I can blame some of the lapse on our trip to Florida (and our preparations for it). However, some of the delay can be attributed to our simply not knowing what news is worth reporting. In the interest of full disclosure, Becca's last hearing test, conducted Thursday the 10th, indicated a decline in her hearing. While this news was disheartening to hear, I will say that this determination conflicts with our personal interaction with Becca. She hears our voices to a good extent and makes references to sounds in the environment. How can I account for the discrepancy between the "official record" and our experience? The test was conducted by a different audiologist with different headphones using a different methodology than last time. While this doesn't explain everything, we have come to see hearing tests as being more subjective than one might suppose.

In a recent test of my own, I again put headphones on Becca to see what songs she would recognize. From this we found that Becca couldn't hear any music with her left ear, even when the volume was at its maximum. When the headphones were then placed over both ears, she could recognize songs with the volume set below my own "regular" listening level. This demonstrated to us that more progress has been made in the right ear. We are grateful for how far we've come, and humbly pray for further improvement. I have been telling God that I would like my daughter hear me whisper, "I love you."

During the past week Becca had some manner of medical appointment every day. It was cranial physical therapy on Monday and Wednesday, a hearing aid fitting on Tuesday, a MRI on Thursday and a CT scan on Friday. Also last week, Becca's loaner hearing aid fell out of her ear while we were on a walk, and so far we have been unable to find it. If you know of anyone with a spare...! Next week Becca has two hearing tests, and she will see the ear specialist, Dr. Bojrab, in early May. In the meantime, the doctor has stopped the steroid ear drop treatments, believing that the swelling has sufficiently subsided, so now Becca is all through with pharmaceuticals. (She does still have the tubes in her ears.) Through it all, Rebecca is mostly upbeat and healthy, though admittedly more withdrawn with others.

As for our vacation, the family had a nice time. When we asked Becca at dinner to tell us her favorite part, she said she liked meeting the princesses the best. This was at the Magic Kingdom in Toon Town where Becca and her cousin, Annetta, had pictures taken with Cinderella, Snow White and Belle all together. Both cousins were dressed up as their favorites: Becca as Cinderella and Annetta as Ariel, the Little Mermaid. Later that same day we splurged on dinner at the castle where we saw several characters from the movie Cinderella. During the rest of the trip, Becca especially enjoyed splashing around four separate pools (wearing ear plugs to keep the water out). In all, we were able to meet up with many members of both sides of the family for a pleasant getaway.

Blessings to you,

Dave

Weekend Fun

This past Sat. Tim and I were invited to participate in a fund-raiser for Family Resources - a local organization that serves families and single mothers. Artists and chefs were invited from the Tampa Bay area to provide food and share their art with those attending the fund-raiser. The venue spanned across several streets and included several homes of the sponsors. Tickets were $150 each for the attenders and there was also a silent auction as well as a live auction and live music. This is the third year that Tim was invited to participate in the event. Last year Tim sold several pictures, however this year was not so good. Very little art in general was purchased this year and overall it appeared that the fund raiser made most of it's profit from the tickets instead of the auctions and art sales. Bummer for the artists! The food was OUTSTANDING and the fund raiser was very well done. We got to meet some incredibly wonderful people and we feel so blessed to have gotten to participate in the event! What a great time!

Everything is coming together

I am still in Florida and working on tying up loose ends from last year, getting thing together for my 6 month ministry trip in beginning in June, and getting all my personal things in order so I don't have to worry about any of that while away. It is REALLY weird setting up bill payments for dates in October and November. Kinda crazy. I am also still fund raising and I am just over $4000 short of my budget. I am looking at even more creative options for cutting costs as well as possibly changing up the trip itinerary based on the funds available. Airfare also seems to be going up so I need to book my flights over the next few weeks. Overall I feel GREAT and God keeps bringing people into my life that confirm the life choices I have made and provide support, ideas, and encouragement for ways to further pursue the work I am doing with IGN. What a GREAT adventure I am on! I am overjoyed at all God has blessed me with and I am so excited about getting to spend the year serving those with less. Just yesterday I spoke on the phone with a Maasai warrior named Amos that lives in Narok Kenya. He is here in the US with others from his tribe and they are going to be performing native songs and dance for people to share a piece of thier culture with us. This is the first time that they have been to the US and they are excited to shatre thier culture with us. They return to Kenya in late May and have invited me to come visit thier village in Narok when I am in Kenya this summer. I also met a missionary couple that is moving to Nakuru Kenya in 3 weeks to work with street kids and orphans. They also invited me to visit them this summer while I am in Kenya. I so look forward to spending time with all our ministry partners in Kenya, as well as develop new partnerships with these folks, and others doing wonderful things in Kenya. Please pray for me that the Holy Spirit would guide all I do, that all I do would reflect the love and grace of Jesus, that I would be salt and light to all those I come into contact with, and that God would provide for all my needs. Thanks for coming along side me in my great adventure!

by the way.... HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHELE!!!!!!!

Blessings,
Cindie

...I have also been playing with my camera and getting a little creative with my pictures. Here is a picture I took in St. Petersburg and played with a bit. :-)

Cindie with Genna