The arrhythmia Dan got from going into shock, has been corrected by the medication he has been taking the past two weeks. He will continue to be on the medication for a month.

The inflammation around his heart is GOING away! PRAISE THE LORD!! It is NOT completely gone so the Doc changed Dan’s medication. He will only have to be on the new meds for three to five days.

He is not allowed to do any exercise for the next month but he has been released to return to his normal activities. Ha ha ha if the Doc only knew what our normal activities were, he would have never said that to us!

With that report  and talking with our team, we have decided to sit tight here at our partners (the Elkins) house for a few weeks so Dan can continue to get the rest his body needs to recover completely. We do not feel that after all he has gone through that we should just jump in the truck and drive the three straight days it takes us to get from here to Mo. We need to know that he has all of his energy back. (well at least MOST of  IT) The last thing we want to do is push it  and have him get sick with something ells.

Our team will be leaving this week for the tribe without us. (giving us a house to ourselves for the next three weeks)

They will be going in to close up the house for the rains and to hold a dental clinic for the community.

Another couple will be joining them to check out our work and see if they would like to join our team in reaching the “Now-what”. We are sad that we will not be able to be out there to introduce this couple to our friends in the village and sit with them in the evenings chatting and getting to know them better. This is a big decision for both them and us as a team. We will certainly be here in town with our knee pads on as they look to the Lord for where He would have them serve.

Please praise the Lord with us  for the good report from the cardiologist!

And could you continue to pray with us for:

- Dan’s continued healing

- Safety for our team as they travel back into the village

-Safety for our two dentist as they also travel from the US.

- A great dentil clinic

- Dan and I as we sit here in town knowing all the work that our partners are having to do and we are unable to be there to help.

We LOVE being part of God’s work out there! Clinics are one of my favorite times in the village! We get to see so many people and show them love during this time, building relationships and building trust among this people group to be able to earn the right to share the Gospel with them.

We are so thankful to have a GREAT team, two GREAT dentists and a GREAT couple willing to take on our work load, letting Dan take the time he needs to recover. We are confident that they will stand in the GAP for us!

They were asked by leadership to relocate back up to Chihuahua to serve as Office Administrator (Ron) and Guest House Hostess (Tasha). Please pray for their family as they are settling in to these new roles.

Our Team

Our team has invited a new missionary couple to join us in May for two weeks.  While they are with us, they will be: helping us close things up for the rainy season, assisting in the dental clinic, checking out our team (and us them) and visiting with the people in our tribe to see if God would be leading them to serve with us among the “NOW –WHAT”.

This was a very, VERY hard decision to come to as our hearts are torn in two different directions. (I have shed many tears over all of this.) Our desire is to be in the village working on our house, relationships with the people, and language learning. On the other hand it is vital that Dan get back on his feet with plenty of rest, good medical advice and care. Those two things cannot happen in the same location. We cannot have both but we want both. The reality is that life in the tribe is very taxing on one’s mind and body on a good day and right now Dan’s body is throwing a BIG FIT saying “NO MORE!” With all the responsibilities he carries out there being the only guy and builder trying to work on three houses at once; he needs to be running at 100%…

Sarah with one of our village neighbors

Our plans as of right now……
Sometime next week, we will be heading back into the tribe to get things closed up for the summer and prepare for the upcoming May dental clinic.

We do not have a date of departure for the States just yet. It will all depend on what needs to get done out in the village and how long it will take.

Where we will be staying Stateside…
This is all up in the air right now! We have been told of  two possibilities were we can find a good back Doc. and are checking into them: Arizona and Missouri.

The GOAL of this time home…..
-First and foremost is to get Dan to a Doc.
-Rest
-Time as a family
-Then when Dan feels ready to travel (and sit in a truck for days on end) we will begin to visit our dear churches, friends and family.

How long we will be home….
? ? ? ? - Our goal is to be back in the tribe by the first of October, when the rains have stopped.

Prayer needs…
- Wisdom as we make plans
-That we find a GREAT Doc.
-Rest and Healing for Dan
-Funds for our upcoming medical bills and travel expenses
-Housing arrangements
-For Katie and Rachel as they make summer plans
-Wisdom for our team as we look to the Lord for new partners

Airlifting Dan out of the tribe

I just want to thank all of you for praying for Dan, Josiah and I. We have had four VERY LONG days.  As many of you have been told, Dan has been sick for about four weeks now but this past Thursday morning, March 24, Dan went into anaphylactic shock about 15 min after I had given him his third, in a series of  penicillin shots. This was after the first round of antibiotics had not worked.

Dan was unresponsive and not moving when I found him so I called for our partner Rachel to run and get the Doc. She told me that she thought the Doc had already left  as she ran out the door… I started praying knowing that if the Doc had really left, Dan was going to die in my arms in a matter of min. I then told Katie to call our partner Teresa to see if there was ANYTHING we could do. Katie got on the phone and Rachel ran all the way to a clinic where the Doc was just packing up to leave.(the Doc is only in the village a few days a month… some months)

A few VERY LONG min. later the Doc and two others came rushing in the door and gave Dan an injection of hydrocortizone in the vain in his hand. We were moments away from losing Dan.  He improved by that evening but the next morning March 25, his heart rate dropped. After consulting with a mission Doc. over the bag phone and with the Doc that treated Dan in the village and our team, we decided to call in an emergency flight to take Dan out to town where he could be checked out, receive other meds. and be closer to medical help if needed.

Many times that night  Dan stopped breathing for several seconds. It was a very long night.  Sat. morning, March 26, Dan was even weaker.

The plane flew into our village picked up our family and drop off our Partner Tom Elkins who flew in on the plane to help close up the house and drive our partners Rachel and Katie out of the village in our truck.

From the time we took off from the village, landed in town 50 min. flight away, saw the Doc., went to a pharmacy and then got Dan home to the Elkins house, it had been less than 2 hours. WOW our heads were spinning! Josiah said that his brain has not caught up to his body yet!

Dan has a bad respiratory infection and is dehydrated.  We are to keep him pumped up with fluids will be taking him in the morning to the Doc. office again for a chest x-ray and other tests.

Dan is resting well and has good color back in his face.

Continue to pray as this is not over yet. He is still struggling with severe headaches, exhaustion and this respiratory infection. But that is an improvement that I am very happy to have, as funny as that sounds.:-)  When he tells me that something hurts, I tell him “I am so happy to hear that!” I never thought that I would get to hear his voice again. What an amazing God we serve!!!! He held us in his hand the whole time., Never letting go, Never turning away. Never to busy. We are so greatfull  that He allowed this to happen with Doc so close. If this would have happened and the Doc. would not have been in the village…but God did not allow that!

We want to thank every one of you for holding us up in prayer. For the team here on the field that advised us, flew us out, took us to the Doc and are now caring for us.

We are overwhelmed by all the love and support.  Thank You!

These were the words we wrote you in the closing of our last e-mail. Do you remember?

Some of you have risen to the challenge! 

Now we look forward to taking you on the road with us via e-mail and pictures!
So pack your bags and buckle up as we bring you up to speed with our travels.

We hit the road for the sunny and windy plains of  IL, arriving safely at my brother’s home. While here, life has been anything but plain! 

 The first two days we completely stripped out the remnants of last years garden and proceeded to put in the new and improved garden (the Eighth Wonder of the World I might add), complete with raised beds, five arching trellises, and fifteen different kinds of Veggies! The third day here, we spent shopping for curtain fabrics for our home in Mexico. The remaining four days were spent catching up on paperwork, vegging out to our favorite TV shows, playing way to many video games, and eating to much good food! But we will be saying good-bye to my brother and his family and leaving  for our old stomping grounds, Peoria, IL, the second stop on our two month trek to Mexico! While in Peoria we will be visiting family and supporters to say our good-byes.

As we continue to head south, we ask you to be praying for our support to “head north”! We are currently at 50% of the recommended amount. Our goal is to have the remainder needed by July 1st!

Dan and I want to thank you for your prayers and support as we packed and traveled to our first stop along our route to Mexico. Please continue to pray for us as we put many miles on our JEEP and backsides over the next two months!

See you at our next stop!
Dan and Sarah Alkire