Thanks Abe

Thanksgiving is my favorite Holiday -- A day set aside for gratitude.

In 1863, 2 years into the Civil War, American President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a day of Thanksgiving set aside each November to give thanks to a worthy God from whom all real blessings flow...Following is his proclomation. (Thanks Ward)

May God grant you and your family a full and rich day of thanks.

The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.

In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign states to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in the theater of military conflict, while that theater has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.

Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plow, the shuttle, or the ship; the ax has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well as the iron and coal as of our precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battlefield, and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the imposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the divine purpose, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the city of Washington, this 3rd day of October, A.D. 1863, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty-eighth.

Bennett's Surgery - All is Well

How old are you Bennett?
Greeting from Childrens Hospital in Minneapolis. Bennett's surgery yesterday afternoon went very well. The surgeon said everything played out exactly like he thought and hoped it would.

Bennett has a nice "pirate scar" on the left side of his stomach, which will be a good life long reminder for this little 4 week adventure. (An adventure where we've had the opportunity to feel God's nearness in ways that we don't always in everyday life...)

We have been very grateful to be here for both the surgery and recovery - especially when contrasted with one of us being alone in jo'burg dealing with all this. Home is a wonderful place.

At the same time, we feel so grateful that we have been given the opportunity to be living in Zambia. Bennett just had an exchange with a nurse that reminded me of how grateful I am for all that we are learning and experiencing.

Nurse: What is your (stuffed) alligator's name?

Bennett: It's a crocodile. His name is Zambezi.

Nurse: Where did you come up with that name?

Bennett: (a bit exasperated) The Zambezi is one of the mightiest and most dangerous rivers in Africa...And it is filled with Crocodiles, and hippos.

Nurse: Wow. Where did you learn about that?

Bennett: We're visiting Zambia for a few years.

As you can see from the exchange, Bennett is back to himself.

We will be here in the hospital until tomorrow and then a few weeks of recovery at home.

So, as we head into Thanksgiving week, we are thankful for so much. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement.

Peace

Back in Minnesota

Last Sunday in South Africa.....
...This Sunday in Minnesota
What a difference a week makes. Last Sunday I was in South Africa with Bennett and had no idea we were coming home, this Sunday I'm watching NFL football (as I type) at our home in Edina. Needless to say, it is great to be back and despite the craziness that has brought us here, it all feels good. The kids have already adjusted back and it feels like they never left...loving being with their grandparents/friends/neighbors...

Bennett has been feeling great and is scheduled for surgery on Thursday - we are meeting with the Doctors tomorrow to make sure everyone is on the same page with what needs to happen. We will most likely be here for 3 to 4 weeks while Bennett recuperates and has additional test to make sure the surgery was successful. Many of you have asked if we are going back to Zambia and the answer is, absolutely. The sickness we have been dealing with has had nothing to do with living in Zambia - living in Zambia just made figuring out what was wrong very challenging. So, assuming Bennett's surgery is successful, we should be back in Zambia within a month.

Thanks to many of you for your prayers, tangible offers of help and encouraging notes - we feel incredibly grateful for our family and friends. While we are here in Minnesota we will be living at our old home (now the home of Molly's parents- a.k.a. the only tenants in the world who are improving the property...) We can be reached at 952-929-6785.

Grateful,

Jeff

Coming Home

The man of the hour...Practicing not squeezing too hard
Good evening from South Africa. What a strange few weeks. Bennett does need surgery on his Kidney (bad news, but quite fixable) and we are all coming home to have his surgery and recovery done in one place, together. (great news).

As we have transitioned to living here in Zambia, there have been many moments for all of us where we have LONGED for home. However, the reality of actually coming home any time soon was not in the plans. So, to suddenly be presented with the reality of this week being in MN is, well, exciting and weird. Sorta like finding out that you won a contest that you didn't enter. Add to that the context of why we are coming home and it is weirder still.

On a positive note, we can't wait to see many of you - Please be praying for smooth travel home, Bennett's full recovery and for our collective emotional states - we are thrashed.

peace,

the Dykstra fam

p.s. If anyone in MN has access to a car we can use for the month of Nov. that would be great...

Back Around

So much to say…Bennett and I (Jeff) are back in J’burg in the room next door to where we were last week. The road back here, so to speak, has not been pretty. Basically, after returning to Lusaka last Saturday, Bennett was on again, off again sick climaxing on Wednesday when he was vomiting all day and could not keep water down.

Almost 3 weeks to the day after this whole deal started, we went back to the 97-degree clinic to get Bennett on an IV. That night, our international medical care/insurance company decided he needed to be back in J’burg after the surgeon in Lusaka recommended a barium enema and more, so yesterday (Thursday) we flew commercial down to J’burg and checked back into our newest home away from home away from home. (Ask Molly how “Graceful” I was with the flight crew that was not going to let us board because we didn’t have a “Fit to Fly” note from the Doctor…)

Wednesday was certainly the worst day in the process, realizing that we were right back where we started after 3 weeks, but since we’ve arrived back here at the hospital in J’burg I have felt like we are moving fwd. True to form with this on again, off again sickness, Bennett has seemed great since we’ve arrived.

(1 Hour Later) O.k…Just had a long conversation with the doctor. Bennett’s ultrasound this morning has revealed a potential "Pelvic Ureteric Junction Obstruction", which is a congenital situation that would make sense of some, but not all, of his symptoms these last weeks…treatable by surgery. A couple more tests are going to be done to confirm this, and options laid out in the next couple days. Hopefully, we have found the root of what is going on but we will be pursuing every possibility.

Obviously, we covet your prayers right now – our family is split up across Southern Africa, which is less than ideal for everyone. Molly stayed home in Lusaka to care for the girls and give them some level of normalcy. Obviously if Bennett needs surgery, Molly and possibly the girls will come down. Pray for a quick resolution to Bennett’s sickness and for restored health.

We have felt your prayers throughout this – While being here in Africa certainly gives perspective, there is nothing quite so personally difficult/emotionally exhausting as having a sick child. On a positive note, I’m having a great time with Bennett – I’d rather be having this time with him Fly fishing for Tiger fish on the Zambezi River, but, I’ll take what I can get with my boy.

p.s. Bennett turns 5 tomorrow.

p.s.s. Just found out we are being released from the hospital for the weekend – so, guys Birthday weekend in South Africa as long as Bennett continues to do well…We’ll check back in to the hospital for 48 hours of test on Monday morning.