Kevin Update

I realized the other day that perhaps I should write a quick update about Kev. So many of you prayed for him this summer and then we left the hospital and shortly afterwards the state. Perhaps some of you are wondering just how he's doing. So this is a brief update to say that Kev is doing well. He's entering the second term here at the academy. Last term, he taught four classes, this term he's down to three. There aren't many year long classes, as PEA believes that term rotation is good. So he has all new material/classes and all new students (9th-12th graders) every term. (Fun if you like constant change. Karen, I can hear that sympathetic groan!) He's co-coaching JV boys basketball this term (hence the 3 rather than 4 classes) with a good friend and having a blast. Others of you might be thinking "basketball? I thought he only coached soccer?" Its a whole new world! The job and all the responsibilities that go with it, while quite demanding are also rewarding. The community here is a good one. We are slowly making connections and feeling more at home. And although it is not Blacknall, (deep sigh!) our church here is becoming more and more familiar to us and to our kids.

Health wise, we both go to a gym which is attached to the local hospital. I have a green folder that charts my progress, Kev has a red one. In the last month or so, he has at long last, been able to run again without pain. Wahoo!! So now he is training to run a 5k or 10k in the spring. This is a constant argument. I think a 5k is a good goal, ever the over achiever he would like to start with a 10k. He works out, much the same as he did in Uganda or Durham, but now his workouts are "productive". What does this mean? Consistent exercise equals improvement... the ability to sustain a longer, harder workout over time. It has been years since this has been true, so it is a cause for much encouragement and celebration. But, not to fear, he only exercises within the "safe zone" according to his heart monitor (a cool device that straps to his chest and relays info through to a handy dandy watch on his wrist). Every few months a new stress test approves a higher level of workout and higher target zone.

We do find ourselves continuing to process the events surrounding this summer's collapse. We tell the stories over and over of his time in the hospital. We talk with great fondness of the so many of you who walked us through this traumatic time in our lives... the emergency response, the calls, the e-mails, the prayers, the visits, the hand holding, the tremendous help and support we received, watching our kids, arranging for play dates, helping us pack, fixing meals, household repairs, going on long walks with Kev or me... So many of you were with us, whether you were right there in Durham, across the ocean or somewhere in between...that we never felt alone. I never felt alone. And for that I am deeply, deeply grateful.

So now we find ourselves in this new place, adjusting to new expectations and new ways of living. In the midst of our adjustment, it is good to step back and take heart in how far we've come. And to share the good news that, while we miss both BGO and Durham, we do love it here and are doing well.