What Shingles Taught Me

Three weeks ago I got Shingles for the first time.  Before I experienced it personally, I knew very little about the illness.  But I have learned a lot, both about it medically, but also lessons God wanted to teach me through the experience.  I want to share some of what I learned, partly to process, but also to testify of God's goodness and faithfulness.

Lesson #1: What is Shingles?  Why did I get it?

Shingles comes from the same virus as chickenpox.  After a person has chickenpox, the varicella zoster virus chooses a nerve in the body to "hang out" in.  Then, in about 1/3 of the people who have been blessed with chickenpox, the virus "wakes up" and comes out in the form of Shingles, attacking the nerve which it was lying dormant in.  I have heard the most common place to be affected is in your back/torso.  But it can be in any nerve.  For me, it was in the nerve that supplies the left side of my face, mostly forehead, but also all the way around my eye.  Although there is common thinking that only older people get shingles, I have read that half of the cases of shingles occur in individuals under 60 years old.  Although those with a weakened immune system or higher stress are more prone to get shingles, it can just come out for no reason at all!  Personally, I think that was the case for me, as I was healthy, and not under any extra stress than normal.

Lesson #2:  Shingles is more than just an itchy, blistery rash.

Before experiencing shingles, I thought it was just a slightly worse case than chickenpox, with an itchy rash.  I had chicken pox when I was quite young, so I don't remember much, but I do remember it being itchy and using lots of calamine lotion.  Shingles, however, is extremely painful.  I believe this is because it's affecting your nerve.  Trust me, the phrase: "that's getting on my nerves" will never mean the same for me again.  The symptoms in my head mimicked a migraine, but only on the left side of my head.  My forehead, left ear and back of my head all experienced shooting pain some days and dull constant pain other days.  On the worst days, any loud noise, any sudden noise, anything that startled me (um, I have 2 young boys!!)...would each send a shooting pain through my head.  A pain where I had to stop and catch my breath.  Often it would also trigger tears immediately, but then the crying would also cause more pain!  Seriously, what kind of illness HURTS to CRY?!?  I spent a lot of time lying around, trying to relax and not cause any more pain.

Lesson #3: You can get shingles anywhere in the world, so my getting it has nothing to do with where I live.

There are quite a few tropical diseases and illnesses that we experience in our part of the world, which are uncommon in America or the Netherlands.  Shingles, however, can and will affect people regardless of where they live.  The only thing that makes you "immune" to getting Shingles: having NEVER had chickenpox! (*But a person with Shingles can spread chickenpox to anyone who hasn't had chickenpox before!)

Lesson #4: God's faithfulness to us is NOT dependent on our trust and faith in Him.

I believe that even the ability to trust and have faith is a gift from God.  Although we definitely have a part in it and God blesses our feeble steps toward Him, His character and love for us doesn't change based on how well we are believing and trusting in Him.

Psalm 25:6-7

"Remember, O Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.

Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; 

according to your love remember me, for you are good, O Lord."

Quite honestly, I did not have the faith and trust in the Lord the whole time that I wish I did.  During the height of my illness of shingles, there was fear that the virus might attack my eye.  The medical staff said that they did not think it would, but they prepped me for what to watch for (blurry vision) and told me what emergency procedures we'd have to do if we thought it was affecting my eye (5 hour commercial flight to an eye specialist with likely emergency eye surgery to protect my eye from having a detached retina).  Hearing this was a possibility and then waking up to an extremely swollen eye the following day (how can you tell if your vision is blurry when you can barely see??), led to a battle with anxiety.  I say "battle", because that is what it feels like to moment-by-moment take your anxiety to God and pray for His direction/peace/healing/protection...and then do it again 5 minutes later when the anxiety rears it's ugly head again.  Philippians 4:6-7, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."   This verse has always been one of my favorites, but I learned something new through this illness.  Sometimes when we pray and leave our burdens with the Lord, we only have to do it once and our hearts are filled with His peace and we don't have to look back again.  But sometimes this is not a one-time thing....we need to keep taking the burden back to the Lord...over and over...  And, sometimes, the peace He sends us is through another person/circumstance.  In my recent experience, the peace came through an eye doctor and his wife in America.  They wrote me and told me that with all of the eye doctor's experience with patients having shingles in their face, they did not believe the virus would attack any other nerves at that point (basically, the nerve(s) effected where already showing themselves and in this case, it did not include my optic nerve).  I truly believe that this communication was God's doing--sending me a message of peace to calm my anxious heart.  [Side note: If you ever feels God's urge to communicate with someone about something you have expertise/experience with, DO IT!]  So, all of this to say, I was not faithful to always trust God, but He was so, so faithful to me!

Lesson #5: God's timing in everything, including illness, really is perfect!

I had the first symptoms of Shingles on the Saturday before school started for my kids.  It was on a Saturday, so my husband was home and able to help.  The worst days of the illness were during the first week my kids were in school...and this is the first year of both boys being in school.  Initially, I thought this wasn't such great timing, but in hindsight, I was SO wrong!  Remember how any noise would cause shooting pain in my head?!  Well, without any kids home, I could lie in my bed in QUIET!  Amazing timing, God!  To top it off, my husband had a planned 10-day trip to another part of our country.  The day he left on his trip, I was on my last dose of medication and had improved enough that we both felt peace about him going on the trip.  If I had gotten Shingles even one or two days later, I think he might have had to cancel his trip (which turned out to be a very important trip for him: dentist appointments, passport renewed, plus helping 2 families newly arrived to serve here).  I am blown away with how perfect God's timing was in this illness.

Lesson #6: We live in a great community who serves one another!

If you had told me before that someone had Shingles, I have to be honest that I wouldn't have thought that was a big deal.  Now I know better!  I am so thankful that our community here KNEW better!  They graciously provided meals, bought groceries, drove kids to/from school and offered to help with anything.  We have been so, so blessed by them.  And, to top it off, God has blessed us with family that lives in the same town!  My wonderful mother-in-law came and stayed multiple nights with us after my husband left on his trip.  What a rich blessing and help!

Psalm 28:6

"The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace!"

My Progression of Shingles

New Runway (ACO)

 The W people in MOK received the Gospel less than 10 years ago. They have a new, vibrant, growing church. They have a good understanding of the difference in their lives now that they no longer live under the curse of sin, but are sanctified through the blood of Jesus. They feel a great burden for their own people (the W people) in other villages who have not yet heard the Gospel. So the young W church from MOK is sending out missionaries/evangelists to other W villages to tell their own people of the the saving work of Christ.

 One of the villages they have been reaching is ACO. Currently to reach ACO, the evangelists from MOK fly direct by helicopter (expensive) or fly 20 minutes on an airplane and then hike 10 hours from the nearest village (DAG) to ACO.

 The people in ACO are hungry for God's Word. The people of ACO have been eagerly awaiting someone to come teach them about God and they spent years busily clearing a 1500 ft (500 m) grass runway so that missionaries could come in by airplane. Their runway has been ready for more than 10 years as they awaited missionaries to come teach them about God's Word.

 However the long hikes in and out of ACO or using a helicopter to go in and out of ACO was proving not to be sustainable. The expat workers in MOK approached YAJASI and asked whether we were willing to see if the runway in ACO was good enough for use by airplane. Additionally, the river in ACO had changed course and the new runway was in danger of eroding away, unless some rock boxes could be flown in to help keep the river away from the runway.

 This request came at a difficult time for YAJASI as we were short staffed and one of our most experienced pilots, who needed to be there for the first landings, had not flown in more than 3 months due to administrative duties. YAJASI had to say, "Sorry, we don't think we can help at this time." That week lots of e-mails went back and forth as we tried to arrange for the helicopter to fly rock boxes, plus a team of westerners out to ACO to fix the runway before it washed away. All our plans failed.

 But that week God worked things together as only He can. Our experienced pilot, who hadn't flown in three months, had meetings cancelled and I was able to fly with him to complete the requirements for him to be legal again.

 Three days later we were circling ACO to land an airplane there for the first time. I'll let the pictures share the rest of the story.

ACO from the air (taken from helicopter)

Explaining to the villagers what still needs to be done on the runway

The welcome committee in ACO

We were adorned with red mud to celebrate our arrival

Waiting for the meat of the celebration pig roast "Bakar Batu" to be served

Taking off from ACO

The rock boxes used to reroute the river 

Praise God for how He's shown His love and care for these people!

Solar Power/Electricity

A lot of families who serve interior, live in villages that are off-grid and therefore they have no electricity. Even those of us who live in town and have access to electricity, experience frequent power cuts.

 Those who live interior usually depend on solar power for their electricity. Some villages don't get a lot of sun because of frequent cloudy days, while other villages get many hours of intense sun (of course, these villages also require more power to run a fan to keep cool!)

 Some families have elaborate solar systems and some have very simple systems. Some have more of a grasp of the complexities of their solar system and some know much less.

 Several of our pilots have an interest in solar systems (or backup battery systems) as a hobby but also desire to develop more of an understanding to be able to help families who live interior.   Inevitably electrical things break.  I've had some opportunities in the last few months to fly with a pilot who has a good understanding of solar/battery systems and been able to observe as he has helped several families interior with their solar systems.

 A little time spent by a pilot in the village, combined with a little know-how and a few tools often help reduce the stress level of those who live interior.  This allows them to focus on ministry rather than dealing with things that aren't working properly.

Note the Volt/Amp meter we installed using a green tupperware container.

Helping install a very nice battery system.

Brand new solar panels going up.

Making sure the solar panels are secured to prevent them from blowing away

A simple battery system we installed for a translator in town,
 so she can work on the computer with a fan blowing to keep cool, even when the power is out.

Flying old friends

One of the privileges of serving in the place I grew up, is the fact that I often get to fly old friends.

Sitting beside me is the man who used to be the pastor in our village.

The guy in the white shirt was one of my childhood playmates.

Going to TUR

The day dawned bright and early with lots of excitement in our house.  Usually when Kars leaves on a flight early in the morning, he rises and slips out of the house without anyone else waking up.  Today was different.  The boys were up early, filled with energy, because this time we all were going on the airplane with Kars as our pilot.  Adding to the excitement was that we were going to be flying our friends, the Beck family, back into their village and staying with their family for a few days.  Although Kars and I had both been to their village home before, this was the first time for the boys to ride along and see where their friends live!

Kars left for the hangar before us, so he could prep the plane and get everything ready for our departure.  I loaded up the boys and our overnight bags in our car and we swung by the guesthouse where our friends, April and her 3 kids had been staying.   This time they had made a trip to town for the kids to do the annual testing at the school.  Ryan, their dad, had stayed in the village for the week.    He was anxious to have his wife and kids return after a week alone, taking care of their home and pets.  We loaded up their bags and supplies (they have to take in almost all of their needed supplies to live, as there are no stores in their village....think about everything you'd need to take if you couldn't go shopping for a month...or three...).  This time they didn't have tons of stuff, as they knew they'd be coming back out to town in less than a month for their annual conference.  One thing we did get to take along this time was 2 little ducklings (which once full grown, are known for protecting against snakes, a scary part of living in the jungle).

After arriving at the hangar and unloading the car, we took the kids up to the bathroom (no bathrooms in little planes!) and then waited for Kars to give the signal that he was ready for us to load in the plane.

Finally it was time to go!  We loaded into the plane.  Our youngest had the privilege of sitting up next to his Papa, as the "co-pilot".

April and I sat in the back with the other 4 kiddos around us.  Everyone was excited for the trip, including the Beck kids, who were excited for visitors to come to their house and village.  I know that there are so many things that I take advantage of having, as a resident of a town, as opposed to a remote village.  We have the privilege of having friends over for dinner or for playdates whenever we want...but living in a remote village that is only accessible by small airplane does not allow this luxury.

My husband started up the plane and we taxied to the end of the runway.  Maybe it's because I am the daughter (and now wife) of a pilot, but whenever I take off in an airplane, whether it be a small plane or a big airliner crossing the ocean, I get emotional. Today was no exception.

As we took off and I looked out over our beautiful tropical town tucked next to "our" mountain, I felt the tears coming.

In that moment, all those years of schooling and training, all the years of working hard to help pay for Kars' expensive flight school, all the steps it took to get our family from America to the opposite side of the world...all of that came into focus...

THIS is why we did it!

So that the moms, dads, kids, families, single missionaries, all those who have dedicated their lives to bringing the gospel to every people group, even in the most remote, inaccessible locations on the edge of the world...CAN GO!  So that they can serve here.  So that they can live in remote locations, with the assurance that although there is no hospital nearby, the airplane can get in and pick up their families, in case of an emergency. So that they are able to come out to town for school testing, supply buying and much deserved breaks.  Having access to an airplane and having trustworthy, safe pilots reduces the stress of their lives here.  Hopefully our service to them increases their longevity and therefore the potential for God's Word to be brought to all the people groups where they serve.  What an honor it is to serve these fellow workers for Christ, helping do our part in building God's kingdom, even here on our remote island in South East Asia!

The airstrip in TUR.
The red roof on the left of center is the Beck's house.

Coming in to land

Where the plane sat during our 2-day stay
(Note that the biggest cleared space is the airstrip: also perfect for playing soccer!)

Some of the precious kids

TUR church

Kars sharing in church

These two have been buds since before they were 2!

We all had fun visiting our friends

Saying goodbye when we headed home