Support...

So many of you over the past year have asked what is the best way that you can support us and we have always said the best support that you can give us in through your prayers covering us and supporting us from afar. You our friends and family have been tremendous prayer warriors on our behalf! We are blessed beyond measure and will always be so grateful for the support you provide for us through your prayers!

I write this post to ask you to suit up one more time for the team... I ask you to put on those knee pads for some prayer time for the Bull family. I know that you have been praying for our family in our sickness lately and what I ask for now is specific prayers for Nathan. Nathan is still vomiting and having pretty severe diarrhea. I have been able to start a new medicine for the parasite that we found out that he has and he has kept it down for a few days now, but we're not seeing his symptoms really change, which makes this overly anxious mommy really nervous.

Please pray that we're doing the right things... that Nathan's health will return as soon as possible... that he won't lose too much weight with all the output and little input... that the parasite will go away and the symptoms of the stomach virus will go away as well... and that this mommy will stop blaming our surroundings for the sickies in her little one.

It's been a really hard week, as far as wanting to be here. Please don't hear me saying I'm packing up and coming home, but in the continual midst of culture shock (does culture shock ever really end?), emotionalness (if that's a word), and trying to get back in the groove of being "home" from our trip, I've had a really hard time not resenting our surroundings this week. I know that satan knows that I came back from the ladies conference refreshed and ready to make some awesome changes in my life, family and ministry and has been on attack ever since, but I'm getting worn and tired. So... all that to say please keep Nathan and our family in your prayers. Thanks again for your continual support of our family! We treasure you!

Cuddling Part 2

Mental note to self... Cuddling is not near as much fun when mommy's sick too!

(See previous post if you are totally confused :)

Cuddling with Mommy

One lab report for Nathan (and for those of you who know us well enough, we're getting awfully tired of stool samples!!!)...

One parasite for Nathan...

One stomach virus for Nathan...

50 bajillion pukings...

50 bajillion dirty diapers (okay this one isn't quite such an exaggeration)...

50 bajillion loads of laundry...

Lots of medicine...

LOTS of Backyardigans and Little Einsteins...

Lots of carpet cleaner...

Lots of waking during the night...

Parasite medicine still in the box for fear he'll puke it up...

ALL make for (drumroll please)...

A sick little guy...

A sick daddy (who we think caught part of the stomach virus part)...

A smelly house (and family for that matter)...

And a tired, but content mommy because Nathan has cuddled more with this mommy in the last two days than I think he has his entire life here on this earth...

(I'm trying to see my glass half full :)

Please keep Nathan in your prayers; that the vomiting will pass, that we'll be able to start with the medicine that should take care of the parasite, and that the medicine will in fact take care of it! Thank you for your constant prayers for our family, we covet them, and have such peace knowing that we are always surrounded and protected by your petitions to our heavenly Father on our behalf! God bless you all!

Welcome home mommy!

I've decided I'm going to have to write a whole separate post to tell you about how the conference in Brazil went for me personally. It was amazing and I feel so renewed, refreshed, and changed, but that's for another post :) This one is dedicated to my sweet boys. Gary and Nathan did great this last week. I feel so blessed to have a husband who is willing to sacrifice his time and energy for me to be able to go and do things like I did last week. And what do you know, they even got me a welcome home present (besides the gift of the fact that there were no broken limbs and the house was still standing). And below are pictures of my precious Nathan's masterpiece that he slaved over just for mommy... I'm sure of it!

And the time has come...

Those of you who know Gary, know that he loves the game of basketball. It is something that God has blessed him with here in Cochabamba as well as back home. Gary found a league here in Cochabamba to play with and it has been an interesting experience for him :) He started with a team that wasn't super committed, but over time they've picked up new players, started getting better and better and recently won the championship for their level (there are three A,B, and C). So after the championship in the locker room they were all sooooo excited and decided to celebrate by having a cookout at our house. Gary has been waiting so long to have an opportunity to spend good quality time with these guys off the court, but not to force it. So last Saturday while we were in route to Brazil the basketball team came over and Gary said it went great. I think I'll be finding signs of their presence in my kitchen for weeks to come :) but it was so worth it. It is such a blessing for us on the field to pray for opportunities and watch God bring them in His sweet timing. So please rejoice with us as we continue to reach out to those that God brings across our path.

The locker room conversation that brought all of this about totally cracks me up. As many know, in other countries, drinking is a much more acceptable social habit than it necessarily is in the states. So as the team is sitting around planning the cookout they had decided to have it at our house. Spirits are high and lots of yelling and congratulating is going on as Gary yells across the locker room to his teammates... so at the cookout do you want to drink? YEAH they all shout, do you want to drink beer? YEAH they all shout again and Gary responds, well you'll have to do it before or after 'cause you can't do it at my house :) and it was like letting the air out of the balloon :) the team were good sports and waited until after the cookout to partake if they so chose, but the story just cracks me up. I can just see spirits high in that locker room, energy levels building and then... just kidding :) I was so proud of my husband for taking on the big job of a cookout, with Nathan in tow and for standing his ground :) What a partner I have... in love, in life and in ministry!

we're here

well... after a crazy day yesterday of running around doing laundry, cooking and packing (all things that we thought we'd have all weekend to do...) we caught a flight out early this morning and arrived here in sao paulo this evening. we catch a bus out to the hotel where we'll be attending the conference tomorrow and relaxing there until the conference starts on monday. god is good and blessed us with a flight out early, but also with amazing husbands (mine especially) who were so willing to add another three days to their weeks without wives or mommies since we would be traveling early. so thank you so much for all your prayers and encouragement. please continue to keep us in your prayers this week as we worship with fellow sisters in similar life circumstances right now, that god would continue to open our hearts to what he needs to speak to us and that we would have open ears and hearts to hear. also please keep in prayer our flight returning on friday. i know that by that point we will all be so ready to be back home with our husbands and kiddos and we're just praying fervently that the flight does not get cancelled as it seems to have a history of doing. thank you again for your prayers, we covet them and are supported by them! god bless.