Give thanks in all circumstances!
Many times in life it can be easy to be overwhelmed by everything going on and forget to see how God is working in the midst of trials. The last three weeks have brought many trials for our family but we are so thankful because we have seen God's hand protecting us and providing for all our needs. We know that our enemy wants to discourage us and do everything he can to threaten our ministry, marriage, and family. Even so, we have been reminded again of the importance of your prayers lifting us up. You are a vital part of our life here in Brazil, thank you for praying for our family. Please don't stop! Here is just a short recap of some of the things we have dealt with the last few weeks and the ways God has provided for us.
-After Lilianna was born, Ben's Meniere's Disease kicked in and he was in bed for 10 days with dizziness and nausea while Becky was trying to recover from her C-Section. Yet, during this time, Becky's mom was here for two weeks to help us--and what a blessing from the Lord she was! We were also blessed to have Ben's parents help out with the boys and support us through this difficult time.
-Soon after Christmas, Becky developed another blood clot in her right leg, and it continued getting larger. Her hematologist here in Anápolis and her previous one in the next largest city, Goiânia, were both on vacation until the middle of January, and said they could not see us until next Monday. We believe that as a direct result of prayer, the hematologist in Goiânia texted our phone last Thursday night saying she was concerned about Becky and wanted to see her the next day even though she was on vacation and her office was closed. She met us at a laboratory and was able to prescribe the needed blood thinning medication along with a number of tests. This was totally a God thing! Unfortunately Becky has to be back on bed rest until this clot gets better. However, we are so thankful for God providing the help she needed at just the right time.
-On Monday night Ben woke up at 2 AM with intense chest and upper abdominal pain. We are so thankful that his parents were able to come and take him to the ER while Becky stayed home with the kids. We are still not sure why he was having pain but are thankful he is feeling better. Pray for us to find out what might have caused this pain.
-That next morning (Tuesday), David fell and hit the back of his head on the sharp corner of the little wall in our back yard and had to get stitches. We are so thankful that he did not injure himself worse and that he is back to his normal "high energy self".
-Also on Tuesday, Becky started developing an allergic rash and needed to go back to Goiânia to do more tests in order to find out what was going on. On the way there this morning (Wednesday), all of a sudden, three cars ahead of Becky, she saw an SUV flip up in the air, twirl a bit, and land back down on the highway. Becky hit the brakes, as did all the other cars around her--only to find that two semi trailers were on their sides, and two other cars were in pieces along with the SUV. There likely were no survivors. If Becky and Lilianna had left our house 5 seconds earlier, they might not have come home this afternoon. We are so thankful for God's protection. We are also thankful for Becky's skilled hematologist who is helping to treat her allergic reaction and find out what the culprit is.
-As you can imagine, we have been swamped the last few weeks; we are drained, yes, but we are thankful for God's protection, and for your prayers which hold us up before the Throne of Grace! Please continue praying for us and thank God with us for His provision for our every need.
Ben, Becky, Caleb, Samuel, David, and Lilianna Bacheller
