theothegrey

I’ll explain later. We’re having too much fun.

I got the results from the MRI on Tuesday. Good news. They found no nerve or ligament problem. Apparently there is some fluid on the top of the foot that is causing pressure on the nerve. It also seems that I have some scar tissue that is causing further pain. I need to check into some options after I return from vacation next week. In the meantime, I’ve been back to wearing my old Birkenstocks. They’re a bit nasty. I’ve had them for 15 years. But they’re the best shoes for me right now and I can walk on them much longer than other shoes.

I have some really good news. It looks like Mia’s hypothyroid problem may be temporary. I took her into see the specialist last Monday. The doctor said we could try reducing the medicine one more time. She said it looks like Mia does have a thyroid gland and it’s starting to produce hormones. Amazing! In some cases, this is just a temporary condition.

I must admit that I haven’t had the faith to pray for complete healing. From all that I’ve heard, I’ve just assumed that this was a permanent condition. The specialist hasn’t been the most forthcoming with information. Then again, she’s triple booked and she squeezes in time to see Mia. God has been so gracious to our family. Please keep praying for her.

For the latest pics and some of the hilarious things going on with the kiddos…
Amy’s Xanga

I got the results from the xrays yesterday. The good news is I don’t have a fracture. The bad news is my foot still hurts and I’m still limping around. I’m scheduled to have an MRI today at 1pm.

If it is Morton’s Neuroma, the chiropractor said I would most likely need surgery to cut the nerve. It’s a chronic condition. If it’s a problem with my ligaments, the treatment will be much simpler.

The chiropractor was able to observe my biomechanics. He was able to pick up right away that I was flatfooted and from the look of things, I had something like this coming. He also made some comments about my age and this being very common. I think we were born the same year.

I’m still feeling lame.

I visited a chiropractor today. I’ve had a sharp pain in my foot for over two weeks. Two weeks ago on Saturday, we went down to Surfside with a couple of friends and their kids. It’s a beach in Texas. Amy and I have been wanting to visit this spot for some time now, because we heard you could actually surf…in TX. It’s true. It’s hard to compare with California, where I grew up, but I wasn’t complaining.

I was running around with my shoes half on and suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my foot. I didn’t think much of it, but the next day it really started to hurt. The chiropractor says it could be a number of things, or combination of things.

1) Possible compression fracture of my second metatarsal (the long thin bone that comes after the toe).
2) Morton’s Neuroma, an inflammation of the nerve between my second and third two.
3) Sprain/Strain of the muscles between the metatarsals.

I’m going to get an xray tomorrow morning.
I’m feeling lame.

To those waiting for my follow up letter, thanks for waiting patiently. I meant to have it written two weeks ago. Sorry about the delay. In the meantime, here’s a couple of candids I took in Almaty. I took a lot of candids, but these two are my favorites.

This is a picture of a Russian man who lives next door to the property that Peace Church has bought for their new site. Pastor Caleb & Priscilla planted Peace Church back in the late 90’s, and we spent a lot of time with this congregation. They are currently renting facilities from a Korean church.
I thought this man’s demeanor said a lot. We didn’t have to speak Russian to understand where he was coming from. He loosened up when he saw us with one of the Peace Church leaders.
Russians have a long history in Central Asia, one that many Central Asians resent. But Kazakhstan is different and Kazakhs seemed to have benefited quite a bit by what the Russians brought.

Immediately after we met the Russian man, this Kazakh mom (I’m assuming she’s Kazakh) and her boy came up to us and said “hello.” Or really “zdravstvuite,” which is the equivalent in Russian. The two of them were very friendly and welcoming.

I came across this article through the The Philosopher’s Magazine. The RSS feed gave it the title “A Smug Theist Calls Atheist Smug.” It’s a short article.

Smug Theist?.

What do you think? Is atheism fading out? Is belief in God becoming more acceptable among your friends and family members? Do you run into overstated arguments like “science has disproved God”?