Last week I moved out of my apartment and now I am at my step Mom's house until my December 11th flight back to Gabon. I am so glad that my Gabonese Entry Permit (visa) just arrived today so I will be able to enter the country. Many people were praying for this because a colleague of mine has had to cancel her flights twice because her visa did not arrive. She got one today as well so I'm sure she is thrilled!
My friend Nancy did not receive her Visitor's visa yet so we're still praying about that. She is flying to Africa with me on Tuesday.
Monday I had a good Orthopedic Dr. visit. It was my 6 month post TKR Total Knee Replacement appointment but it has not quite been 6 months. The Xrays were good but did show a bit of calcification on the sides and back of my knee, perhaps why I have not made further progress with bending my knee. Dr. said that I can still make progress with my knee bend up to one year after the knee replacement. I need to really work on bending my knee.
Today's Positive:
1. I received my Visa!
2. Mom and I are going out to eat dinner this evening with my friend Nancy and her Mom. We are going to one of my favorite restaurants, Summer Kitchen.
3. I am making progress with my many projects that I'm working on before traveling.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Thanksgiving Day + Packing!
I had a nice Thanksgiving Day. I was at my Step Brother's home at noon. Then I went to my cousin's home at 4pm. I ate plenty the first meal and very little the second meal. I never felt stuffed for which I am thankful.
Now I am busy packing up my belongings into plastic bins, suitcases or a throw away pile. I move from my apartment this next week. On Tuesday friends with a truck will arrive to put my bins into storage in someone's basement. Thursday another truck will pick up my furniture. Between now and Friday I will move my suitcases over to my Step Mom's house where I will stay for ten days before flying back to Africa. I am being very careful to leave plenty of spaces to walk so that I do not trip over my piles of "stuff"!
Today's Positives:
1. Today I weigh what I weighed before Thanksgiving.
2. I am making progress with my packing.
3. It is chilly outside but I have no where to go. I'm staying inside today.
Have a good weekend!
Now I am busy packing up my belongings into plastic bins, suitcases or a throw away pile. I move from my apartment this next week. On Tuesday friends with a truck will arrive to put my bins into storage in someone's basement. Thursday another truck will pick up my furniture. Between now and Friday I will move my suitcases over to my Step Mom's house where I will stay for ten days before flying back to Africa. I am being very careful to leave plenty of spaces to walk so that I do not trip over my piles of "stuff"!
Today's Positives:
1. Today I weigh what I weighed before Thanksgiving.
2. I am making progress with my packing.
3. It is chilly outside but I have no where to go. I'm staying inside today.
Have a good weekend!
Friday, November 16, 2012
Thanksgiving 2012
“The LORD is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give
thanks to him in song.” Psalm 28:7 NIV
Next week is Thanksgiving Day
and I am so thankful to the Lord for what he has done for me. Yes, my “heart
leaps for joy” even if my leg cannot leap at all. BUT, I can walk! Yesterday I
did aerobic walking for 18 minutes (I wear a pedometer) and I could have walked
longer! I am also thankful to you my prayer partners for your continuing
prayers for me during over nine months since March 5th when I broke
my knee/wrist.
What are my plans for Thanksgiving Day? Well, I am invited
to TWO meals that day. At
noon I will be with my step family and later in the afternoon I will be with my
cousins. I should not go hungry. It will be a good opportunity though to see
everyone before I fly back to Gabon.
When do I fly? My
flights are on December 11th and I fly from Omaha to Chicago
and then to Frankfort, Germany before flying to Libreville, Gabon. Guess what.
My nurse friend Nancy is
traveling with me to Gabon and she will stay for about seven weeks! She
has been to Africa three times before but never to Gabon. Nancy, an ER nurse, has
helped me in many ways during these 9 months of convalescence.
Praise:
1. The Gabonese highway that was washed out by rains a few weeks ago was rapidly repaired and the southern and eastern parts of the country are no longer cut off from the capital city.
2. A couple from my Sunday School class helped me get four boxes of my things to UPS so I could mail them to the shipping company for shipment to Gabon.
3. I now have very little pain in my left leg.
4. I am making good progress at packing up my belongings that must be put into storage and other things that I will take with me to Africa.
1. The Gabonese highway that was washed out by rains a few weeks ago was rapidly repaired and the southern and eastern parts of the country are no longer cut off from the capital city.
2. A couple from my Sunday School class helped me get four boxes of my things to UPS so I could mail them to the shipping company for shipment to Gabon.
3. I now have very little pain in my left leg.
4. I am making good progress at packing up my belongings that must be put into storage and other things that I will take with me to Africa.
Prayer Requests:
1. Pray I receive my Permit to Enter Gabon. It was applied for by our Business Manager in Gabon and he will email it to me when he obtains it. I do not need a normal visitor’s visa.
2. Pray that Nancy’s passport would arrive from being renewed and that she would then obtains her Gabonese Visa.
3. Pray for me as I finish packing up and then as I move out of my apartment before the end of the month. Yes, I will need some people to help me those last few days of the month.
4. My main laptop computer was having problems with the keyboard this week so I took it to be repaired by the “Geek Squad”. Pray that it gets repaired and returned to me before my flight on December 11th.
1. Pray I receive my Permit to Enter Gabon. It was applied for by our Business Manager in Gabon and he will email it to me when he obtains it. I do not need a normal visitor’s visa.
2. Pray that Nancy’s passport would arrive from being renewed and that she would then obtains her Gabonese Visa.
3. Pray for me as I finish packing up and then as I move out of my apartment before the end of the month. Yes, I will need some people to help me those last few days of the month.
4. My main laptop computer was having problems with the keyboard this week so I took it to be repaired by the “Geek Squad”. Pray that it gets repaired and returned to me before my flight on December 11th.
Have a good Thanksgiving Day, a day for reflection on what
God has done for you.
I will write again before leaving for Gabon.
Thankful for all God has done,
Carolyn
I will write again before leaving for Gabon.
Thankful for all God has done,
Carolyn
Monday, November 5, 2012
The Road FELL!
Yep, a couple of weeks ago a Gabonese ROAD FELL. Heavy rains undermined the road and it suddenly just plain FELL!!
This was HIGHWAY #1 in the country and connected the Southern half of the country with the capital city. It also led to the highway that went to the Eastern half of the country. I don't know how they repaired this road drop so rapidly but they did and traffic is now going back over the road.
This was HIGHWAY #1 in the country and connected the Southern half of the country with the capital city. It also led to the highway that went to the Eastern half of the country. I don't know how they repaired this road drop so rapidly but they did and traffic is now going back over the road.
Monday, October 29, 2012
My Mini Vacation
My friend Su and I just finished a four day, two night mini vacation. So what did we do?
Thursday we went to Desoto Bend, a National animal and bird refuge. We did not see many migratory birds as we had wished but we had fun driving through the refuge.
We then drove to Blair, NE and went to three thrift shops, and ate at a Mexican buffet for lunch. Here is Su at the Mexican restaurant.
After a short drive we arrived in Fremont,NE and got our hotel room. We relaxed a bit then went out to eat. We had decided to eat in restaurants that were not our usual choices. That night we ate at Penny's Diner:
Friday Su and I went to three thrift shops and out to lunch at Arby's. In the afternoon we went to a movie matinee and then out to eat supper at a USA Steak Buffet.
Saturday we drove back to Omaha and went to two more thrift shops on the way to Godfather's Pizza for lunch.
I drove Su to her home after lunch. This morning we met at parking lot where Su left her car and I drove us to Bridge Church so we could visit a new church. Our church partners sometimes with Bridge Church to minister to an inner city area so we wanted to visit Bridge Church. We listened to a good message. After the service Su and I went out to eat lunch, thus declaring that our mini vacation was over.
I have to admit, I did not use portion control during our mini vacation. This photo (From Funny Potato website) is NOT of Su and me. I'm just showing it to illustrate being off track! I ate just too much during my vacation!
Although I did some walking, I did not do enough walking and I did not exercise. I know that I must get back to exercising!
Today's Positives:
1. I had a great four day vacation!
2. An envelope with three checks that I sent to my bank, and that did not get registered as a deposit was returned to me. I had put it in the wrong envelope. I can now resend these checks to my bank in the CORRECT envelope ...so the almost $300 can be credited to my account!! I'm am so glad that I got the envelope back!
3. Longtime friends were in town this afternoon and I got to see them at a reception given in their honor.
4. I will be back on track with healthy eating and exercising TOMORROW!
Have a nice week!
P.S. The last photo was sent to me by email from the website Funny Potato: www.funny-potato.com/
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Carolyn's Capers... October 16th
Good News: Returning
to Gabon!
Praise the Lord and thanks for praying. I have received approval to return to my work in Gabon and the Bongolo Hospital. I’m in the process of making reservations to leave Omaha on December 11th, arriving in Libreville, Gabon on December 12th. After a few days in the capital city, I will travel to the hospital which is about 350 miles further south.
Praise the Lord and thanks for praying. I have received approval to return to my work in Gabon and the Bongolo Hospital. I’m in the process of making reservations to leave Omaha on December 11th, arriving in Libreville, Gabon on December 12th. After a few days in the capital city, I will travel to the hospital which is about 350 miles further south.
What have I been
studying?
I have just finished taking a six week, seven session Women’s Bible study at church. I was one of the table leaders. Here at my apartment complex we finished a weekly study on Acts and tomorrow we will start studying Romans (see photo from apartment study). I am also finishing my second correspondence course for renewal of my Nursing License. This course is entitled, Geriatric Assessment.
I have just finished taking a six week, seven session Women’s Bible study at church. I was one of the table leaders. Here at my apartment complex we finished a weekly study on Acts and tomorrow we will start studying Romans (see photo from apartment study). I am also finishing my second correspondence course for renewal of my Nursing License. This course is entitled, Geriatric Assessment.
Packing and Shipping!
I am getting a couple of cartons of things ready to send UPS to Ohio where they will be put into a container and shipped through the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean and then on to Gabon. I also ordered a new recliner that will be a good support for my legs. That too will go into the Gabon container. I do not plan on sending much to Africa this time since I already have plenty of “stuff” over there. In the next two years I need to GET RID OF 35 years of belongings!
I am getting a couple of cartons of things ready to send UPS to Ohio where they will be put into a container and shipped through the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean and then on to Gabon. I also ordered a new recliner that will be a good support for my legs. That too will go into the Gabon container. I do not plan on sending much to Africa this time since I already have plenty of “stuff” over there. In the next two years I need to GET RID OF 35 years of belongings!
Speaking I have done.
September 16.... Ecclesia Adult Sunday school Class September 24th... Alliance Women at Christ Community Church
October 4th… I spoke about Africa to 30-35 residents from my Apartment Complex.
September 16.... Ecclesia Adult Sunday school Class September 24th... Alliance Women at Christ Community Church
October 4th… I spoke about Africa to 30-35 residents from my Apartment Complex.
Thanks for your
Gifts!
Thank you for your investment in me and my ministry! The primary investment vehicle to support my work is the Great Commission Fund. Contributions can be made through a local Alliance church, online at The Alliance's official website or by sending a check to the C&MA, PO Box 35000, Colorado Springs, CO 80935-3500. You may designate your gift to support me by writing “for the support of Carolyn Thorson” on the memo line.
Thank you for your investment in me and my ministry! The primary investment vehicle to support my work is the Great Commission Fund. Contributions can be made through a local Alliance church, online at The Alliance's official website or by sending a check to the C&MA, PO Box 35000, Colorado Springs, CO 80935-3500. You may designate your gift to support me by writing “for the support of Carolyn Thorson” on the memo line.
Physical Status.
I have finished seeing my doctors except for one last check up in December, just before I fly out. I have seen my eye doctor and need new glasses. My dentist filled one very small cavity, one not needing any anesthesia. I had a Post Ovarian cancer check up and all is fine. I went to a Travel Clinic to get my vaccinations up to date. I no longer go to Physical Therapy but I do go to the Wellness Center and for exercising and swimming. I am still working at better bending my left knee. Ibuprofen is what relieves my knee pain now. I walk without my cane at times and at other times I use a cane to steady myself.
I have finished seeing my doctors except for one last check up in December, just before I fly out. I have seen my eye doctor and need new glasses. My dentist filled one very small cavity, one not needing any anesthesia. I had a Post Ovarian cancer check up and all is fine. I went to a Travel Clinic to get my vaccinations up to date. I no longer go to Physical Therapy but I do go to the Wellness Center and for exercising and swimming. I am still working at better bending my left knee. Ibuprofen is what relieves my knee pain now. I walk without my cane at times and at other times I use a cane to steady myself.
Vacation Plans:
A friend and I will take a vacation from October 25-28. Su is from my church and we have vacationed together in the past. We plan to stay close to Omaha and hope to do the vacation on one tank of gas!
A friend and I will take a vacation from October 25-28. Su is from my church and we have vacationed together in the past. We plan to stay close to Omaha and hope to do the vacation on one tank of gas!
Prayer Requests:
1. For the 24 Nursing Students studying at the Bongolo Hospital Nursing School.
2. For Karen Fitch, Terry Newman and Amanda Martin who are teaching the Nursing Students this quarter.
3. That I continue to make improvement at bending my left knee.
4. That I make good use of my time as I finish up many projects that I want to do before returning to Gabon.
1. For the 24 Nursing Students studying at the Bongolo Hospital Nursing School.
2. For Karen Fitch, Terry Newman and Amanda Martin who are teaching the Nursing Students this quarter.
3. That I continue to make improvement at bending my left knee.
4. That I make good use of my time as I finish up many projects that I want to do before returning to Gabon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)