July Update!
In August… woops.
Hello family and friends!
I apologize for the tardiness of this update. I have had some health challenges over the last several weeks that diverted my attention from anything else. I am happy to report that I am back at 100% and feeling better than before.
While there are not any major updates, I would love to share with you updates on my health, the EMI Global Office visit, a major milestone and some short updates from previous topics.
Health
IV fluids and antibiotics at my recent doctors visit.
As I mentioned above, I had a health concern/challenge that started about three weeks ago. I was woken up suddenly in the night by severe stomach cramps, fever, chills and a bad headache. I took the next couple days off of work and on the third day decided to reach out to a friend. That evening I began anti-parasitic meds. It is very common here for expats to contract a parasite in the first 2-3 months due to water and food. Since my symptoms were similar, I took the meds for the three days.
You know the medical commercials in the US that list all of the side effects which seem worse than the actual diagnosis sometimes? I felt like that.
While the meds seem to help, symptoms did not fully go away. In fact, towards the end of the first week I began to see new symptoms - fatigues and severe muscle cramps (probably from the dehydration). As the second week began, we had visitors from the EMI Global Office. So I took meds as necessary and got through those days as best I could. Finally, at the end of the second week I decided to go to see a doctor. Here there are two basic options - you go to a clinic or you go to a hospital ER.
Upon checking in to the ER, I was given a bed and they immediately started IV fluids and some antibiotics. The ER doctor ran bloodwork and other tests and also gave me an ultrasound. After about two hours, the ER doctor came back and informed me that all seemed well. The only item of minor concern was an elevated protein in the blood which indicated I had some sort of intestinal inflammation. After conferring with the internal medicine doctor, they discharged me with several medications and a plan to move forward.
I spent the first couple of days on a clear liquid diet and then began to reintroduce solid foods. During this time, my mom reminded me that God is Jehova Rapha - the God who heals. This became my daily prayer, that God would heal my body completely. I am so happy to let you know that God answered those prayers and I am back to 100%. In fact, I feel better than I have in a while (maybe even since my trip to Mexico with EMI last April).
Office Visit
Last week, we had visitors from our Global Office - John Dallman (President) and his wife Gala along with Brad Crawford (COO) and his wife Alisha. Their visit had two basic purposes. The first was to provide us with the history of the EMI office in Latin America over the last twenty years and lessons learned. The second was to give vision for our office for the years ahead and to inspire us with dreams of possibilities.
We spent the mornings as a team learning from our Global leaders and in the afternoons had the opportunity to meet with the Dallmans and the Crawfords one-on-one. Wednesday afternoon, we spent outside the office as a team and went go-carting. After getting rained out, we went to a coffee shop and had time to hang out and chat.
Our entire team is here!
Back Row: David Lowe (engineer), Miguel Carrillo (Accountant), Jan Martinez (Architect), me
Front Row: Diane Lowe, Phil Iekel (Director & Engineer), Olivia Iekel (HR), Helen Quail, Rob Quail (Engineer)
Border Run!
Map of the Nicaraguan/Costa Rican border. I will need to travel from Managua (the red dot) to the area close to La Cruz, Costa Rica) to cross the border - a 2ish hour trip
Time flies! On August 19, my tourist visa here in Nicaragua will expire, and I will need to do a border run. But, what is a border run? It means two things - one, I have been in Nicaragua three months, and two, I will need to go cross the border into Costa Rica in order to return back to Nicaragua to obtain another tourist visa for three months. It is really common here for expats to have to do these border runs until they receive residency here. However, some expats are perpetual tourists. They have lived here for 10 years (and more) and still to border runs every three months (that is between 30-40 border runs!). My goal is to apply for residency in the next several months so that eventually I would no longer have to do border runs.
While it is possible for me to do this in a day, it would be a 6-9 hour day and exhausting. So, I am looking at other possible options that would break up the trip a bit and maybe allow me to see some of the countryside.
Other Updates
VEHICLE - a car purchase has been put on hold temporarily. I am blessed to be able to walk to grocery stores and have learned to take public transport to work and to other stores around town. I am still interested in the vehicle I saw, but experienced some hurdles in regards to payment for the vehicle. I hope to explore several new options (apps and withdrawing cash) to pay for the car.
DOG - Maximus is doing well and is almost fully house trained (yippee!). He is really growing into his own unique (and at times crazy) personality and I love every bit of his companionship. During the days, while I am at work, my neighbors have been taking care of him and by the time I get home he is typically exhausted. However, he usually gets a second wind around 8pm with a sudden burst of energy and sprints around the house.
CHURCH - if I am being honest, this has been a challenge for me. I think I had some expectations (which I did not realize) - type of church, location, my involvement, Spanish vs. English service, etc. I continually pray over this decision as I settle here in Managua.
Images of sunsets at my apartment, new furniture and of course - Maximus. The last photo is of Maximus and his two lady friends (the owners dogs) - Blue (the husky) and Zoe (the black lab mix).
Prayer Requests
Health - that my immune system would acclimate to a different country and part of the world and grow stronger.
Car - that God would provide peace on this decision and clear direction on how to pay for it.
Work - that our team would mesh well. That we would learn each others strengths and support one another in our weaknesses.
Relationships - that God would continue to allow my relationship with my neighbors to grow, and that I would have opportunities to share my faith and what I do here.
Church - that God would break my expectations and provide a church that is right for me.
Friends - I met incredible (now life-long) friends this past winter at MTI. Two of them mobilize to their countries over the next week. The first is a single guy moving to the Middle East. The second is a family of five (kids are 8,6 & 3) moving to Eastern Europe. Please pray as they travel, transition, and settle into a new country and culture. Both of these family units have been a GREAT blessing to me. So, will you join me in prayer over them?
Friends and family, thank you for your prayers and for checking in with me. As always, I would love to hear from you and know how I can be praying for you. You can reach out to me via email, located below, or via social media.
Love,
Micah