My belt needs a new hole in it. I have lost so much weight in the last three weeks that my pants would be in danger of falling off if I spent much time walking around, which I don’t.

The voices of children and adults talking and playing reach my ears through the windows, but I have little hope of being closer to them for several more days. For nearly three weeks now, I have spent most of my time in bed. The doctor thinks I have Typhoid Fever. Typhoid takes a long time to recover from—almost unbearably long, from my perspective. It is painful to watch Maggi struggle to do things I normally help her with. Not even having the energy to sit on the couch and look at pictures with my three-year-old is excruciating.

So, here we are in the mission field. God has called us here, and He will sustain us and give us health and will even use sickness for His purpose in some way or another. Soon (compared to eternity, at least), by the grace of God, I will be able to get up from my bed, punch a new hole in my belt, and go get to know our new neighbors. —

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