Going Back!!

Well, its finally happening!  I've been given official medical release, as well as release from Global Partners, to return to Zambia!!  Praise the Lord!!

Since about the beginning of March I started to progressively get better, and have been feeling 100% for several weeks now.  My illness and recovery still dont have much of an explanation other than- "I was sick, and now I'm better." 

Things I'm praising the Lord for:
1- My illness wasn't any worse than it was
2- For his faithfulness in guiding me home where I could receive good medical care and rest
3- For all of the wonderful people (all over the world!) who have been praying for me and
4- That I'm better!

There are a few Frequently Asked Questions I've been getting:
FAQ#1 "Did they ever find out what made you sick?"  The short answer is "no".  And the long answer is that I probably had a virus and due to the extreme amount of stress my body was under, most especially from being treated for malaria 3 times, I got wiped out and took a good long time to get better!
 FAQ #2 "Aren't you worried you'll get sick again?!"  The short answer is, "Yes!!" However, there are a lot of things that make me hopeful it won't be as bad.
1- My immune system should be strengthened against whatever 'it' was.
2- I'm returning during a cooler season- 60-80 degrees should be easier on my body than 90-120!
3- The cooler season also means less bugs (lessening risk of malaria, or other bug-transfered diseases)
4-My first few weeks back in Africa will be spent in South Africa where I will attend a GP missionary retreat.  This adjustment to the time-zone in a less stressful environment should help my body transition. 
5- The knowledge that I was not sick with malaria is key.  This means I will be testing myself for malaria, and therefore knowing for certain if I need to be treated or not.
6- I'm planning to be hyper-vigilant about things like cleaning, food preparation, boiling water, hand washing etc etc etc!

Though I'm certain that I WILL get sick again, I'm hopeful that it will be comparatively minor and not prohibit me in such an extreme way from my ministry, work and life in Zambia.  There is still a year and 4 months left to my term, and I'm eager to soak up every minute of it! 
My journey back to Zambia begins on Tuesday the 17th when I will fly to South Africa for a three week stay for a retreat with fellow african missionaries followed by a longer stay with my area missionary directors.  Finally on May 7th I'll make the trip back to Zambia to begin the next term in Jembo!
Thank you everyone for your prayers throughout these last months! The Lord is our faithful physician and I'm so thankful he'll be with me as I head back.  Its been nice to be home with so many of you in Canandaigua, and I've been so blessed by many visits from friends and family. 

Thank you for your prayers during this transition!  This is the longest stretch of time that I've been home since before college (!) and we've all gotten pretty comfortable having me around. Please pray for peace for my family as I head back to the unknown in Zambia, as there is understandably more concern about my health this time around! 

Most especially, praise the Lord for his faithfulness and healing :)