Pictures from the Medivac

The Doctor and Nurses taking good care of Jessica in our clinic.

While in Cairns, Jessica's PNG friends, who happened to be in town for medical reasons as well, stopped in to encourage her!

The flight that no one will forget any time soon!

Coming Home

Jessica has had her final checkups from the doctor and has been given the green light to head back to Papua New Guinea.

They plan to fly back home on Wednesday!

Thank you SO much for all your prayers on her behalf over the past week!

Discharged!!!

Jessica has been discharged from the hospital!!!

She is currently staying in a local hotel that caters to the itinerant needs of missionary families.

From Saturday night, until she leaves on Wednesday, Kristi will be staying with a couple that has asked her to come stay with them, so that they can help meet here needs with transportation, communication, etc.,

Kristi and Jessica are both feeling much better and hope to get some really needed sleep tonight.

In the coming days they have a few follow up consults with other doctors and physicians.

They are planning on catching the very next flight back - next Wednesday.

A sudden change...

Thanks so much for praying for Jessica!! God answered your prayers!

Around 2am last night Kristi said something seemed to break loose in her sinus area and she has now been pain free since that time.

Kristi was able to sleep for the first time since this ordeal
started. She slept for three hours last night and sounded like a new
person this morning. PTL!! Not sure if it was the sleep or the screaming that stopped that made her feel so much better. Probably a little of both!

The kids were able to talk to each other for the first time...Logan was impressed that even though one of our nurses had hooked up an IV to Jessica's arm to keep her from getting so many shots, it has not helped. She has received 25 additional shots as of this morning. I guess they don't practice giving the shot through the IV in Australia.

This morning, I got up and made Olivia's favorite breakfast...Belgian Waffles. I have to preface that with...they were not toaster waffles...nor did I have a powder that I added water too! :) She was SO excited...we also played a scavenger hunt with two of her presents. (I know, I am weak! She left for school so excited this morning!

Now to clean up the mess in the kitchen! (I hate that part!)

Post Surgery

Even though I haven't been able to stay connected long enough to have a complete conversation, I was able to gather a few things.

1. Jessica has had the surgery. They ended up placing tubes in both ears to remove some of the pressure. Although some of the pain has been removed, Jessica continues with the normal on again, off again pain she has been battling since the beginning. It has now begun to alternate ears.

2. A CAT scan has been done, but no results have been given yet.

3. For one reason or another, Kristi has not been able to sleep for the past 48 hours...she asked prayer that she could find some sleep tonight.

4. I did find out that the flight from Port Moresby to Australia was one of the worst flights they had ever been on before. They went through a huge storm that lasted most of the trip. Reflecting back on the trip, she was glad to have arrived safely, and didn't think she could ever find the words to describe it totally.

5. The doctor has only been into see Jessica for about 30 seconds...since the operation. This has bothered Kristi a lot. She has a lot of questions and not very many answers. Please pray that tomorrow morning when the doctor comes in to check up on her that she can come away with some more concrete answers.

6. The mission nurses have had to return back to PNG with the flight. They have been a huge blessing to Kristi. She said, she didn't think she could have made it without their help.


We are all doing fine here. Tomorrow is Olivia's birthday...even though she has been anxiously waiting for her birthday party for some time, she agreed not to celebrate until Jessica and Mommy are back home again. Later on in the day, after much thought I am sure, she curled up in my lap and asked if we can go ahead and open the presents NOW and have the party later! :)

In Surgery...

Kristi borrowed a nurses cell phone to call me and we spoke for a few minutes.

She was on a stronger dose of morphine last night, along with other meds, so she did get some rest from the severe pain she was having earlier on the day.

Jessica is in surgery right now. They are going to start off by inserting tubes in both ears to see if that can relieve some pressure, and take away the severe pain.

They will wait 42 hours after surgery to see if that fixes the problem or if additional surgery will be needed...at this point the doctor is hopeful that it will solve the problem.

Will write more later after surgery.

Arrived Safely...

in Australia and is under the care of an eye, nose, throat, specialist at the local hospital.

Jessica continues with the pain, cycling on and off every few minutes...she was seen by the doctor, and has been put on an additional four antibiotics.

He has her scheduled for surgery first thing in the morning.

The note I received from the nurse in a quick email states:

"Jessica continues in amazingly good and bright spirits given what she has been through. She is my new hero!"

Half Way

I just heard word via the radio that the small 206 Cessna has made it to Port Moresby, the capital of PNG.

They are planning on rushing the paperwork through the Immigration office, and then hope to meet up with an oxygen equipped twin engine airplane which is on its way from Australia to pick them up.

I have not heard the status of Jessica yet, but she left here heavily sedated and can only imagine what flying does to your eardrums in a small plane, even when they are normal.

Jessica and Kristi are being accompanied by two experienced nurses who have brought a lot of emergency equipment and medicine a long with them in case they need it for the flight.

The "rest" of the kids are all doing fine...here at home, with Daddy. Missing the two of them like crazy, but the Lord continues to bless us! Some thoughtful neighbors brought over supper, tonight! I hadn't even thought that far ahead yet...

God is Good, no matter the outcome!

Medivac in Process

The Doctor has arrived and said she definately needs to get to Australia.

Because of some other issues, we felt it best that Kristi go instead of Phil.

We have 30 minutes to pack up before the plain leaves for Australia.

We will keep you posted...

Jessica is heavily sedated at the present to ease the pain.

Thanks for praying!

Pray for Jessica

Jessica has had an inner ear infection for a little over a week...the doctor had put her on a strong antibiotic, she seemed to be getting better, however, for the past 12 hours she has been in excruciating pain. The white blood counts are not elevated. The ear drum appears to be red but not bulging. The doctors are trying to ease the pain right now...and trying to figure out what is causing the intense pain. They are not sure wat is going on at the moment. Our mission doctor was participating in a surgery at another hospital in PNG. He is being flown back to where we are, right now, and will make a decision concerning Jessica in the the next six hours.

They are considering, medivacing her to Australia. If this should happen Jessica and Phil will go on the flight, while Kristi remains here with the other children.

Pray for healing for Jessica and wisdom for the doctors and nurses as
they care for her.