Things I'm loving about being in Gainesville...

...the weather!  Every day is short-sleeved weather and it is glorious.  Natty runs around outside without shoes and has even played in the sprinklers a few times.

...the grass (and general greenness)!  Natty rolls in it, runs in it and everything just looks lush and alive.

...carpet!  Being able to walk around without socks and slippers/shoes on cushy carpet is a delight.  I miss that feeling in Bolivia.

...drinking out of the faucet!  This is especially exciting to Natalie, who often reminds me, "Mommy, did you know we can drink water right out of the sink?!".  Yes, we can.  And I do.

...pizza.  Awesome crust.  Tomato sauce.  Thick.  Cheap.

...TV.  I hate to admit it.  But we love HGTV.

...nice things!  Everything is nice.  Nice, clean restaurants with tasty foods of infinite varieties.  Nice public bathrooms (have you ever been in a Bolivian public restroom?  Not pretty.)  Nice roads.  Nice cars.  Nice, well-stocked grocery stores.  Nice furniture.  Nice toilet paper.  Nice. Nice. Nice.

...cereal!  LOVE Kashi.  All of it.

...parks!  Oh, my goodness.  I could spend an afternoon everyday at our closest sports park.  There are shredded tire tracks under the equipment (verses dirt or cement), which gives a lovely, squishy, safe quality.  There are big oak trees.  There are squirrels.  There are lovely, heavy-duty park benches.  Natty is in heaven there and it is so fun to watch her.

...doctors.  I've already written about that one.  Thanking God for Dr. Duff.

I'm sure I'll think of more things later.  We are still in the honeymoon phase of being in the U.S. :)

Thanksgiving newsletter

We are so thankful...

...For a safe arrival to the U.S.!  We had a few unforeseen bumps along the way and knew that travel could potentially be difficult on my weakened, pregnant body.  Everything was going smoothly and comfortably until we arrived in Lima, Peru and our connecting flight refused to let us on board because of the perceived riskiness of my pregnancy.  We are thankful that God worked it out so that we could get on another airlines' flight to Miami that was leaving immediately and we arrived to our destination several hours earlier than expected!  The next morning, we were refused the rental car we had reserved online!  We are thankful that my parents drove the 6 hours to come get us in a borrowed, larger vehicle, that the hotel we were staying in had a last-second cancellation to their completely booked schedule which allowed us to stay in our room throughout the rest of the day while we waited for my parents, and that we made it safely home in the wee hours of the evening.  

...For our families and supporters!  We'll be spending almost 6 months in my parents' home, eating their food, enjoying their hospitality and potentially slightly abusing their free babysitting services.  We had the joy of spending a few days with Scotty's parents already and look forward to a more extended time later next year with them and their church in Tennessee.  Our Vineyard church here has welcomed us as lovingly as they always do and we are excited to soak in their love for a while.  Our church, Desiring God Community Church, in Charlotte has already sent us a lovely care package and we await the time we can worship with them after our baby is born.  Scotty is excited to see friends and supporters at Bethlehem Baptist in Minneapolis when he goes to the pastors conference there at the end of January.  We are surrounded by people who care about us and have been praying for us and we feel God's unmerited grace through all of them.

...For good medical care and good health!  God miraculously got us in with a very respected high-risk pregnancy doctor in town who rarely takes new patients!  He is kind and gentle and reassuring and his office staff have been nothing but friendly and capable.  The medical experience we've had here is worlds apart from what we are used to...it's what I've been dreaming of since I found out I was pregnant!  And, upon being reviewed by Dr. Duff (thank God for this man!), he pronounced everything good and normal and relieved me from my bed rest!  He also informed us that we were having another girl, much to our surprise and great joy.  Jubilee Sage will join us, Lord-willing, in early March.

...For rest.  There's nothing like being in a place that is so comfortable and familiar.  For me, comfortable is short sleeves in November, just the temperatures Gainesville boasts this time of year.  But it's also the knowledge that this time is for us to unwind, relax, and rest in God's goodness.  Natalie is thriving in this new place where she has not only mom and dad around, but Nana and Papa, too.  She is running barefoot outside in the grass, playing in the sprinklers, learning to ride a tricycle, making new friends in the neighborhood and checking out lots of library books!  Scotty finally has a break from the demanding ministry schedule that occupied much of his time the last few months, as well as the concerns he carried for taking care of a lot of my needs, as well as Natty's, mostly on his own.  We are thanking God continually that we will be able to enjoy some activities together again outside of the house and do more together as a family.  It is a true joy to be here.

...For our Bolivian pastor, Edgar Mamani.  Edgar is the sort of pastor that you are honored to also call your friend.  He is devoted to the faithful preaching of the Word and to the encouragement of his flock.  He is a good husband and father.  His life and ministry have been radically changed by what he has learned from pastor John Piper, through his sermons and books.  We shared with you the plans we had to get pastor Edgar to Minneapolis this winter for the pastor's conference at Pastor John's church.  So far, we are still in need of about $1500 to fly Edgar from La Paz and cover his expenses while in the states.  We would be so grateful if you'd consider helping with this special gift of giving Edgar the opportunity to see the pastor who has made such a great impact in his life.  Please also pray for Edgar's mother, who is not a believer and who has recently been diagnosed with lung cancer.  Please pray for her healing, both spiritually and physically.

...For God's abundant provision through His people in the past, present and future.  We have been well-supplied for all of our needs over the course of our missionary career so far in Bolivia.  We will be making some of our new financial needs known to you in our next newsletter, but want to express our gratitude to God and to you for generously supporting us in so many ways.  

With love and gratitude,
Scotty, Lisa, Natalie and Jubilee Miser

Please call us!  352-450-1669
or email us!  scottynlisa@gmail.com
Or check out our blog!  http://scottyandlisa.blogspot.com
Or send us checks!  SIM USA * PO Box 7900 * Charlotte, NC 28241

It's a...

GIRL!!!  (Can you see the balloon?).  Her name is Jubilee Sage.  We had the name picked out for Zion, if he was a girl.  Jubilee, meaning great rejoicing (as well as its Biblical meaning that might be better saved for a different blog), seems so appropriate in this post-grief time of welcoming the good gift of life into our family again.  We highly suspected the baby to be a boy and even brought home almost an entire suitcase of boy clothes, but we're thrilled our little girl is healthy and Natty's hope was for a baby sister.  The visit with our doctor could not have gone better.  Dr. Duff is a sweet, caring, soft-spoken doctor who took plenty of time with us and made us feel at ease.  He talked to me like I was a "normal" pregnant woman, leading me to believe he is not too concerned about anything drastic happening.  He checked my cervix, informing me that all looks totally normal.  How often I have prayed for that in the last few months!  God is overwhelming us with His love and care for us.  He measured the baby and checked her out all over, reporting all to be perfect.  And then, he explained that as long as I take it easy and not stay out too long, I can do everyday activities again!  I could not stop praising and thanking God for this news!  We feel like he is making our wildest dreams come true (who else is thinking of Pedro from Napoleon Dynamite right now?).  Really, I just don't take these things for granted anymore.

So, out to Olive Garden with both sets of parents to celebrate.  Then, a hair cut, dental appointment, fabric shopping, Starbucks, the library, and Target...not necessarily in that order.  And, no more ordering Scotty around...:)

Doctors visit

Yesterday was our first appointment at the medical office we have chosen here in Gainesville.  It's where all the doctors at a well-known, top-notch hospital in town practice and I felt like any one of them would be completely trustworthy.  I was nervous when the morning came- not knowing what to expect and hoping things would go well and that we'd be able to see a doctor soon.  I was so nervous that I forgot the keys to my little electric scooter, so I wasn't able to wheel myself around and had to do a bit of walking, which felt nice, but made me nervous.  The office was easy to find and as soon as we walked in, we were greeted by a friendly lady behind the counter who took her time explaining a few things, politely asking me to sign a few papers and making us feel quite at home.  She immediately sent us back to talk to the financial lady who would try to locate us in the insurance system (even though I thought of it a million times, I ended up leaving our insurance cards in Bolivia) and set up our payments for the future C-section that will happen in March.  So organized!  She congratulated us on the pregnancy and sounded quite excited when we explained that we had come back to Gainesville from Bolivia to have our baby here.  She also carefully explained the procedures we would go through each time we came to the office and made sure we were aware of what we should do in case anything scary happened during the pregnancy.  After we finished with her, a nurse was waiting to take us back to go over our medical history.  She was kind and funny and very thorough.  She asked if I had a doctor already and when I told her who I was hoping for, she said, "I don't think that's going to happen."  Apparently, this doctor is quite in demand and only takes patients "when the spirit moves him."  She made a phone call to ask his nurse to talk with him and they called back about 20 minutes later to confirm we could be his patients!!  God totally made that work out and the nurse praised him highly saying that both doctors and patients love working with this man.  Hooray!!  We answered some questions, asked a few, and were sent on our way.  The whole thing could not have gone more smoothly and we were stunned the whole time how well things are set up, how friendly people are, how well-cared for you feel.  I suppose I have spent all of my child-bearing years feeling only moderately cared for under the hands of only slightly informed doctors (and most of that information coming from their schooling decades prior) and after Zion, completely lacking in the kind of medical care that me and this baby need.  It's been tense and stressful and I only realize now the extent of what I have been missing.  I'm sure when I actually see the doctor and go through all the testing, that realization will be even more acute.  By another miracle, I was able to get an appointment with this doctor on Tuesday, when he will do an ultrasound and be able to tell us not only to what extent I need to be resting but also the sex of the baby.  They'll make up for lost time by doing a host of blood work and much relief will be felt by all.  :)

It's cool and sunny today and the house is totally quiet- except for my parent's crying cats.  Natty and Scotty have gone off to find a park and my parents are at the gym.   We are loving being here and not having any pressures and Scotty has mentioned several times being in the U.S. "honeymoon" phase.  I haven't felt this quite yet, as I haven't been able to get out and enjoy Starbucks and book stores and Target and just seeing things.  My venture out yesterday to the doctor was my first trip out since we arrived last weekend.  We're eating well, sleeping well, and loving that Natty has two more people to play with her.  God has been kind in giving us this chance.  Monday brings Scotty's parents for a few days and I'm hoping that Tuesday will bring news that we can all get out together and do some stuff out of the house.  And, I continue to work on trusting God for each day, even though the temptation to worry about how long my body can carry this baby is stronger now than in the early days.  There is much hope.

Travel Miracles

The first miracle of our travels was the Miracle of Bubba.  Natty has a little stuffed rabbit that is her most prized possession and can not be lived without.  He is especially important at sleep times.  She had decided at one point that Bubba would stay in her carry-on suitcase throughout the trip to make sure he didn't somehow get left behind, but she couldn't hold out on this and so carried him with us in her hands in and out of airports and on and off the planes.  Right after we were denied access onto our second flight and rushed to another plane, we realized as we boarded that Bubba was no where in sight.  My last memory of him was handing him to Natty while we were debating with the LAN people.  I assumed that she must have dropped him on the floor at that point and when we were whisked away, Bubba stayed behind.  Immediately the angst set in and Natty started bawling, "I want my Bubba!!  I need Bubba!  I want him!!"  It was really heartbreaking when you know your child actually considers this thing to be a real, live friend that talks to her and that she lovingly pets and cradles like a little baby and tells him that she loves him.  There was nothing that could be done, as they were waiting for us to seal the door and taxi out.  We sat down in our seats, mine was a bit behind where Scotty and Natty were and on the other side of the aisle.  All I could hear was the faint whimpering of my little girl and I just thought the day couldn't get much worse from there.  All of a sudden, I hear Scotty's voice and he is waving Bubba triumphantly in the air!  I have no idea how that happened, and later find out that he found the bunny in his backpack.  He has no recollection of putting him there and I know that he was so busy trying to figure out our flight situation while Natty and I were playing with Bubba,and then they so quickly moved us on to the gate where our flight was leaving, that I am convinced God miraculously stored him in Scotty's backpack.  I actually cried at that moment and hoped the strangers I was wedged between wouldn't notice.

Natty and I catch site of our ride home- Nana and Papa are here!

Miracle #2 comes on Saturday after our much needed sleep at the hotel in Miami.  We had a nice morning and were just getting geared up for the drive home.  Scotty headed out after our mediocre breakfast to pick up the rental car I had reserved with debit card online a month ago.  Natty and I started surfing cartoon channels, the one thing she was most excited about regarding our journey home.  Not surprisingly, we ended up watching Spanish cartoons on the only Spanish channel we picked up.  An hour passed, another half hour past, another half hour- and still, no Scotty.  We turned the TV off and walked outside to sit down on the steps right outside our hotel door for some fresh air (something I haven't been able to do in two months!).  I heard a phone ringing in the distance and realized it was ours!  I ran back inside (but, slowly, as a woman on bed rest should do) and picked it up.  Scotty says, "Well, it's gone from bad to worse".  Never enouraging words.  He tells me that he's been to every car rental place at the airport and no one will rent to him.  The company that we had reserved with would not accept his debit card because when they did a credit check, he had no history (yes, he has no credit history at 39 years old).  But, this also means that we're responsible with money, right??  Anyway, it's a no deal and I hang up feeling despondent and a bit worried.  I tell Natty what's happening and we pray and I decide that since God knew this was coming, I should just chill and trust He's already worked out Plan B.  I call my parents, who live 6 hours away, and ask if they can come get us.  Yes.  Now, I call the front desk and ask if they can extend us the room.  No.  No??  The hotel is completely booked for the night??  I explain that I am a poor pregnant woman on bed rest and we have nowhere to go and I don't have a wheelchair and shouldn't be walking around.  Front desk chick responds, "But if I let you stay in that room, the next guest will show up and have no where to go."  True, but can't you work a miracle for me, or at least sound sympathetic?  No.  I hang up and really start racking my brain.  We could go to the mall until dinner time- but they don't have free wheelchairs, do they?  We could go to the hospital- they have wheelchairs.  No, that doesn't sound like fun.  We could rent another hotel room in a different hotel, but it will be expensive and still mean packing up and hauling 3 big bags and a car seat and myself into a taxi and walking around somewhere else where I shouldn't be walking.  I had a good cry, pulled myself together, and called the front desk to ask if they'd give us an extra half hour and the numbers to their other Miami locales.  And, oh yeah, if we book at another one of their hotels, could they shuttle us over?  No.  Grrrrr...  So, front desk chick tells me she's extended our stay and I ask again for the other hotel phone numbers and she says, "No, I've extended you for another night."  What??  I thought the hotel was full.  Nonchalantly, hotel chick says, "Oh, we had a cancellation."  Wow!  God again to the rescue!  I hung up and cried tears of joy for the second time this trip, astounded at God's goodness in working out this stressful situation.  I felt so helpless as this person who wasn't supposed to be up and walking around much and the idea of trying to find a new place to go sounded a bit overwhelming.  But, God gave us a way to stay in the same room for the afternoon so that I could chill while Natty and Scotty explored.  My parents came at dinnertime, had some food with us, and off we went- arriving home at 1am.  And now, it's all behind us, we see how God's hand was in all of it, as always, and now we wait to see how He's going to work in my body as we anxiously await my appointment with a nurse at the end of the week.  But, we know, and have been shown so many times, that He is faithful.

Travel adventures

As we were travelling, I had so many ideas for how I would write this blog.  Now that we're at my parent's house and relaxing, none of it sees so important anymore.  But, I'll do my best to recap the adventures.  First, I'll say that travelling in a wheelchair is awesome, if there's some good reason you need to do so.  At every airport we went to, a nice person working there shuttled me around, pushed me to the front of the line, or skipped the line all together.  I do have to say I felt a little awkward at times when I caught the, "what's wrong with that girl" looks some people shot over or when peoples gazes drifted to me as I rolled into a room.  However, not having to wait for anything beat all that.  The first check in went super smooth and we were landing in Lima before we knew it.  When we arrived at the LAN desk where we were to check in for the second portion of our air travel, things got a bit sticky.  After reading our medical document, which we hadn't planned on showing to any airline personnel, they told us quite firmly that we would not be flying their airlines without a signed waver from their doctor and mine.  How we were supposed to know this, I have no idea, and my anger increased as Scotty politely tried to make head-way with Peruvian LAN chick and she shot him down several times.  Before we even had the chance to talk with a manager, wheelchair-boy is taking me to the elevator and we are rapidly walking to Gate 17 where a TACA flight is taking off in the next 5 seconds for Miami.  If they got us from La Paz to Lima, I suppose they won't have a problem allowing the terribly scary pregnant lady on again.  So, after a few brief phone calls by nice TACA dude, we are being wheeled down the plank, pushed on, seated and the plane is taking off.  We all end up in the last row by the stinky, crowded bathrooms, but we were together and we were heading to Miami, earlier than we thought.  This was a gift from God.  The almost 6 hour flight passes after some bland food, two cheesy movies and a short nap by Natty and we are in Miami before we know it.  We find, as usual, that Spanish works much better than English for the helpful Miami airport staff and after rolling through customs, we find our luggage was not able to jump on the plane as fast as we were and so we work with Latin baggage claims ladies to come back when it's due in to pick it up.  Then we wait almost an hour for our hotel shuttle and almost give up hope when we see it drive by, inform us that it's already full and that we will need to take a taxi.  At this point, I'm just happy to be sitting outside by the pick-up/drop-off curb in the balmy Miami sunset while Natty rolls happily about on the concrete (cause Mommy's sitting there), getting filthy.  I think she's happy to be off the airplane.  So, nice Brazilian taxi driver gets us to our hotel, we check in and Scotty immediately gets on the shuttle to go back and get our luggage.  Natty and I watch a half hour of TV and I try to do very little since my body is already feeling the stress of travelling all day and being cramped on board a plane for almost 8 total hours.  I convince Natty we should sleep and we both fall into a slumber, only to wake up an hour or so later and realize that Scotty is not back.  Now, this is where I realize how much we rely on cell phones.  At this point, my husband is supposedly at the airport- but what if he never made it?  Why is it taking so long?  Did he get in an accident?  Did he forget the hotel's number so there's no way to call the shuttle to come get him?  Did he get abducted in the not-so-nice part of town around the airport?  What should I do??  He'd been gone for about 2 hours at this point and in my tired stupor, I was imagining the worst.  Thank God, I heard luggage wheels at the door and jumped up to see Scotty with all our bags.  Yay- they all made it!!  Then, he goes out again, gets us Wendy's (cause we haven't eaten anything since bland pasta at 11:30am), we scarf, fall into bed and rest peacefully until morning.

I am praising God that my body held up under the long travelling hours, that our bags all made it, that we had a cozy bed to sleep in, that we are in the U.S.  And, especially, that someone took the "risk" of letting me fly on their plane.  Thank you TACA!  Stay tuned for more travel adventures...