Yes, that's a recent picture of me, my sister and Micah. Why, you might ask, is Kari in this picture with us and at our house?!?! Well, some of you reading this may know, while others haven't heard much, but my dear sister literally fell off a cliff in Africa about 4 weeks ago. To put it bluntly, she shouldn't be alive, but by God's grace, and ONLY HIS!, she is, and we are all so, so grateful.
There really is no way to make this story short, so bear with this post. Kari is teaching in a missionary school in Dakar, Senegal, West Africa, and ended up meeting and becoming engaged to a fellow teacher at this same school this year. Her and Josh decided to take some engagement pictures on an island just off of Senegal called N'Gor Island. All was going well, as you can tell from the first two pictures below, until they decided to sit on a rock a little too close to the edge of a cliff, which in turn gave way.
The above picture is a stock picture, but shows the cliff from which Kari fell. The benches you see at the top are the same benches you see in the picture of her and Josh with the hearts on the back. This is where I allow Josh's email to do the telling of the story:
Dear Friends and Family,
I am asking for your prayers for Kari. On Thursday evening her and I, along with a couple good friends Mike and Mindee went out to N'Gor Island to get our engagement pictures taken. Mike is a great photographer so he was taking our pictures for us. One of the spots we wanted to get pictures was on the edge of a cliff that overlooks the ocean. This is a popular spot for tourists to take in the beauty of this area. Kari and I were sitting on two very large rocks that looked like they were very sturdy and we thought there was absolutely no risk. As we were getting into position to get pictures, Kari's rock gave way and fell to the bottom of the cliff. Kari was trying to grab for whatever she could but was falling as well. I grabbed onto her shirt to try and catch her but her shirt ripped and she fell about 20-25 feet down the rocky shore. On the way down she bounced off a big rock sticking out of the cliff and then landed between two big rocks that were in the water. She landed on her back. Mike was the first one down to her as he was in a better position to climb down than I was. I met up with them shortly, relieved to hear her moaning; I thought I had lost her.
Mike was a great help, getting to her first and securing her until I could get down there and together we could get her up on a ledge and clear from the waves for the most part. Mike climbed back up the cliff and he and Mindee called our friend JP and our director Joe and also sought help from some of the Senegalese guys who were around. 2 or 3 of them came down to help me get Kari to safety. They walked her around a ledge that was sticking out and up the cliff to safety. As they started to walk her away from the ledge we were standing on, one of the guys accidentally knocked a rock off the cliff that hit me in the back. It didn't really cause any damage.
Once back up the cliff, one of the guys put Kari on his back and carried her all of the way across the island and to a boat that took us to the mainland. Mike drove us all to the hospital where we met up with JP, Cori and Jim. They had brought some clothes for the both of us as we were soaked from the water.
Kari has suffered a broken right wrist, a badly sprained and bruised left foot, a fractured vertebra and several scrapes and bruises. We are still in the hospital and initially the doctor said she had to stay until Monday, but we are hoping she can leave today or tomorrow. She is doing well but it will be a long road to recovery.
Please pray for her recovery. Pray for the injuries I mentioned above. She is sick of being couped up in the hospital and is upset about how little mobility she has.
In light of the accident, we have much to be thankful for and to praise God for. She really could not have fallen in a better position to be safe from the crashing waves. To only have the injuries that she has is nothing else but an act of God. We both believe that his angels were guiding her fall. One funny story from this is when she came to and realized what was going on, she was really worried about her sandals. She kept asking me to find her sandals...haha.
We have already felt an outpouring of prayer and encouragement from the Dakar Academy community. Several friends have come to visit and helped with translating as my French is not strong enough to communicate effectively in this situation.
Please keep Kari in your prayers as you think of it. I'll keep you posted on her progress.
Love from Senegal,
Joshua
The above picture is a stock picture, but shows the cliff from which Kari fell. The benches you see at the top are the same benches you see in the picture of her and Josh with the hearts on the back. This is where I allow Josh's email to do the telling of the story:
Dear Friends and Family,
I am asking for your prayers for Kari. On Thursday evening her and I, along with a couple good friends Mike and Mindee went out to N'Gor Island to get our engagement pictures taken. Mike is a great photographer so he was taking our pictures for us. One of the spots we wanted to get pictures was on the edge of a cliff that overlooks the ocean. This is a popular spot for tourists to take in the beauty of this area. Kari and I were sitting on two very large rocks that looked like they were very sturdy and we thought there was absolutely no risk. As we were getting into position to get pictures, Kari's rock gave way and fell to the bottom of the cliff. Kari was trying to grab for whatever she could but was falling as well. I grabbed onto her shirt to try and catch her but her shirt ripped and she fell about 20-25 feet down the rocky shore. On the way down she bounced off a big rock sticking out of the cliff and then landed between two big rocks that were in the water. She landed on her back. Mike was the first one down to her as he was in a better position to climb down than I was. I met up with them shortly, relieved to hear her moaning; I thought I had lost her.
Mike was a great help, getting to her first and securing her until I could get down there and together we could get her up on a ledge and clear from the waves for the most part. Mike climbed back up the cliff and he and Mindee called our friend JP and our director Joe and also sought help from some of the Senegalese guys who were around. 2 or 3 of them came down to help me get Kari to safety. They walked her around a ledge that was sticking out and up the cliff to safety. As they started to walk her away from the ledge we were standing on, one of the guys accidentally knocked a rock off the cliff that hit me in the back. It didn't really cause any damage.
Once back up the cliff, one of the guys put Kari on his back and carried her all of the way across the island and to a boat that took us to the mainland. Mike drove us all to the hospital where we met up with JP, Cori and Jim. They had brought some clothes for the both of us as we were soaked from the water.
Kari has suffered a broken right wrist, a badly sprained and bruised left foot, a fractured vertebra and several scrapes and bruises. We are still in the hospital and initially the doctor said she had to stay until Monday, but we are hoping she can leave today or tomorrow. She is doing well but it will be a long road to recovery.
Please pray for her recovery. Pray for the injuries I mentioned above. She is sick of being couped up in the hospital and is upset about how little mobility she has.
In light of the accident, we have much to be thankful for and to praise God for. She really could not have fallen in a better position to be safe from the crashing waves. To only have the injuries that she has is nothing else but an act of God. We both believe that his angels were guiding her fall. One funny story from this is when she came to and realized what was going on, she was really worried about her sandals. She kept asking me to find her sandals...haha.
We have already felt an outpouring of prayer and encouragement from the Dakar Academy community. Several friends have come to visit and helped with translating as my French is not strong enough to communicate effectively in this situation.
Please keep Kari in your prayers as you think of it. I'll keep you posted on her progress.
Love from Senegal,
Joshua
The below two pictures are quite graphic, but demonstrate her wrist and foot shortly thereafter the accident. We were at first worried about her back the most, but as time has gone on, her wrist has actually been the most concerning and the reason that there is a picture with me, Micah and her as of recent as yesterday!
Below is a snip-it from an email Kari sent out about 1 1/2 weeks after the fall, and it is awesome to see God's hand on her and her maturity through such a tragic experience.
Hi Family,
So it's just another normal Sunday here in Dakar. Hot and sunny, and off to church...everyone except me, of course. (Well, maybe not EVERYONE-perhaps others are sick...-but that's what it feels like at least.) I decided to take a little extra time on my devotional this morning, and I found myself for some reason looking up pictures of N'Gor Island, the place of the fall. We just got our engagement photos yesterday (they're really good!), but it made me want to find a good picture of where I fell. Although my body tells me that what happened is very real, sometimes I find myself wondering about the event, because the fact that I am living just seems utterly impossible. But, our God does the impossible. I don't know why I was allowed to fall in the first place, because certainly God could've stopped it. But I am so thankful for how clear His hand was in saving me.
I'm technically on bed rest for 40 days or so, and only allowed to walk to the bathroom with a back brace, and then back to bed. I sit up some but am very intentional about keeping my back straight. Now, I enjoy a lazy day on the couch here and there just like the best of them, but really, I'm a pretty active person. So this is hard. The hardest thing is that I am so helpless. I literally can't get food, can't get a drink, can't get my pills open, can't do hardly anything, without the assistance of someone else. I hate depending on others, and I'm afraid of becoming a burden to them; but, I have no choice. I'm truly learning what it means to be a part of the body of Christ. So many have helped me in extraordinary ways, from in the hospital to now back at home. I'm beginning to get a true glimpse of the global community of God and all of my brothers and sisters in Christ whom I will one day meet in heaven. I was overwhelmed to see how many people responded in prayer to Josh's updates, people I don't even know. Of course there's my family and your church groups and friends, so many people I don't even know, praying! And then, everyone here has sent this request to their homes as well. People all over the US, all over Africa, and even in Korea are praying for me. Thousands of people that I do not know are praying for me! And, I honestly believe it's helping. I feel way better than I ever thought possible at this point, and it just must be the prayers. I think God has big plans to draw me close to Him during this.
Thank you Family, for listening and praying. I am going to send pics of some of my wounds and me in the hospital :) I'm also going to send the best pic I could find of where I fell, just to give you a clearer picture of how miraculous this was. N'Gor is a major surfing spot, hence the crashing waves referenced earlier and the surfer in the picture. Those are the cliffs in the background. On the very top you can see some stone benches. We took a picture on one of the benches and then walked straight ahead to the cliff for a picture. So, the cliff edge on the left is very close to where I fell.
Love you,
Kari
Due to continued pain in her wrist, and a follow-up in Dakar with a Brazilian doctor, Kari faxed x-rays to an orthopedic office in Chicago-land area for a third opinion. Kari's wrist was not setting correctly and needed surgery within 3 weeks of her fall, otherwise it would be too bad beyond repair. This was discovered on a Thursday, and by Sunday evening, I was picking up Josh and Kari from the airport.
Hi Family,
So it's just another normal Sunday here in Dakar. Hot and sunny, and off to church...everyone except me, of course. (Well, maybe not EVERYONE-perhaps others are sick...-but that's what it feels like at least.) I decided to take a little extra time on my devotional this morning, and I found myself for some reason looking up pictures of N'Gor Island, the place of the fall. We just got our engagement photos yesterday (they're really good!), but it made me want to find a good picture of where I fell. Although my body tells me that what happened is very real, sometimes I find myself wondering about the event, because the fact that I am living just seems utterly impossible. But, our God does the impossible. I don't know why I was allowed to fall in the first place, because certainly God could've stopped it. But I am so thankful for how clear His hand was in saving me.
I'm technically on bed rest for 40 days or so, and only allowed to walk to the bathroom with a back brace, and then back to bed. I sit up some but am very intentional about keeping my back straight. Now, I enjoy a lazy day on the couch here and there just like the best of them, but really, I'm a pretty active person. So this is hard. The hardest thing is that I am so helpless. I literally can't get food, can't get a drink, can't get my pills open, can't do hardly anything, without the assistance of someone else. I hate depending on others, and I'm afraid of becoming a burden to them; but, I have no choice. I'm truly learning what it means to be a part of the body of Christ. So many have helped me in extraordinary ways, from in the hospital to now back at home. I'm beginning to get a true glimpse of the global community of God and all of my brothers and sisters in Christ whom I will one day meet in heaven. I was overwhelmed to see how many people responded in prayer to Josh's updates, people I don't even know. Of course there's my family and your church groups and friends, so many people I don't even know, praying! And then, everyone here has sent this request to their homes as well. People all over the US, all over Africa, and even in Korea are praying for me. Thousands of people that I do not know are praying for me! And, I honestly believe it's helping. I feel way better than I ever thought possible at this point, and it just must be the prayers. I think God has big plans to draw me close to Him during this.
Thank you Family, for listening and praying. I am going to send pics of some of my wounds and me in the hospital :) I'm also going to send the best pic I could find of where I fell, just to give you a clearer picture of how miraculous this was. N'Gor is a major surfing spot, hence the crashing waves referenced earlier and the surfer in the picture. Those are the cliffs in the background. On the very top you can see some stone benches. We took a picture on one of the benches and then walked straight ahead to the cliff for a picture. So, the cliff edge on the left is very close to where I fell.
Love you,
Kari
Due to continued pain in her wrist, and a follow-up in Dakar with a Brazilian doctor, Kari faxed x-rays to an orthopedic office in Chicago-land area for a third opinion. Kari's wrist was not setting correctly and needed surgery within 3 weeks of her fall, otherwise it would be too bad beyond repair. This was discovered on a Thursday, and by Sunday evening, I was picking up Josh and Kari from the airport.
We certainly had a great time meeting Josh and getting to spend unexpected time with Kari. Although we weren't excited about the reasoning of why that time happened, we were again grateful for God's protection in her life. Kari had surgery on Wednesday, 20 days after her fall, and Josh's email below explains in detail about what the doctor found and the expected road to recovery from the surgery:
Hey Guys,
Kari had her surgery yesterday. It lasted about 3 hours. When the doctor was finished she came out to discuss the procedure with us and explain what she did, what she saw and what kind of recovery SHE can expect. She was very nice and took the time to fully explain everything she did and answer any questions I had even though she had to go to another procedure.
Kari's wrist was more damaged that the doctor estimated based on looking at the x-rays. She explained to us that her wrist was pretty much all crushed together on the inside. There were broken bones but also bones that have slid back on each other when she fell. There was also some ligament damage and extensive cartilage damage - she estimates that about 80% of the cartilage in Kari's wrist was crushed. The doctor pieced everything back together the best she could and then stabilized it all with a metal plate that will stay in forever. She said she also had one small bone broken off on the underside of her wrist that did not need to be addressed b/c it's still attached to a ligament.
With the amount of structural damage and loss of cartilage, the doctor said that Kari will have have a stiff wrist for the rest of her life. She expects that Kari will only be able to move her wrist up and down a little bit. She did not say whether or not she would have any range of motion side to side. This news was very difficult for me to hear b/c I know how much Kari loves playing sports and being active. It is a big part of who she is and now she has a fight ahead of her to regain as much functioning back in her wrist as possible.
However, I do know that the Lord is still the Great Physician. He gave mankind doctors and the technology to go in and repair His creation. But, nobody knows us like our Creator. Both Kari and I have used the analogy of Jesus standing alongside the doctors, holding their hand and guiding every movement like they were puppets. We also envision Jesus knitting together her wrist in there, doing the fine, intricate little repairs that the doctors are not able to do. As I was typing this letter I took a break and opened another email for this daily devotional that I get. Kari and I have been reading them together while we have been here. The title of the devotion is "Trust Me" and the first scripture reference is Psalm 121. But another reference also spoke to my heart. It is Isaiah 43:2 which says "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you." Neither Psalm 121 nor Isaiah 43:2 say that nothing bad will ever happen to us. But, what it does say, is when you go through tough times, through valleys or rivers, God is there with us. He will not let the weight of the situation overflow us.
Please continue to pray for complete healing in Kari's wrist. We have a follow-up appointment on Tuesday and then she gets stitches out next Friday. The doctor would like to see Kari again in 4-6 weeks to follow up and start physical therapy. The good news is she doesn't see any problem with Kari flying back to Dakar with me on April 7th. Since there is nothing more they can do here during the next 4-6 weeks, Kari would like to return to Dakar to spend time with her students and get things in order for the remainder of the school year.
I apologize for not writing this last night. We got back from the hospital much later than expected last night and we were just exhausted. Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support. One great thing that has come from all of this is we have grown so much closer to each other, and together, we have grown much closer to God as well. He has brought us to a place of complete dependence on Him and we are learning so much about His power and love for us in a real way! We will continue to update you guys as we see the doctor and different things like that. Kari has appointments to get an MRI done on her back and get her ankle looked at as well. We figured since we are here we will just get it all looked at just to be sure that nothing was missed!
Love you guys,
Josh and Kari
While here for the 2 weeks, we had my parents out during the surgery, and then Josh's sisters, niece and mom came out over the weekend. Micah and Audrey are going to be the flower girl and ring bearer in the upcoming wedding, and they had a great first interaction, as shown below, haha. Micah was sharing his crackers with Audrey, and was helping her get them (all the way) in her mouth.
We wanted to make sure to get some shots with Kari and Micah before they headed back out to Africa, as I think Micah has a special place in his heart for his Aunt Kari. She was at the hospital when he was born, lived with us for a while, and spent 2 weeks with us last summer as well. Not to mention, we skype with Kari and Josh more than any other family member so he is able to see her face quite frequently. We love you Aunt Kari (and soon to be Uncle Josh)! We are so grateful we had the last 2 weeks with you and pray for continued healing on your body. And we will see you again soon, when you fly back out here at the beginning of May to begin physical therapy on your wrist.
At our easter service this A.M. I talked to the guy who picked Kari and Josh up at the airport in Dakar. They are safely here. Great pics, by the way and a wonderful post, but fyi, Josh's words all came across as hieroglyphics. Maybe my computer doesn't have the right fonts. Hopefully everyone else has a more up-to-date font set.
ReplyDeleteWell... mine were also hieroglyphics! So... good thing I knew what the letters had shared -ha! I am so grateful to God that I get to continue to plan a wedding (rather than a funeral!). I am grateful to Josh for his wonderful care of my daughter through all of this - he is going to make a wonderful husband! I am grateful to Kelly and Christian (and Micah - ha!) for being willing to turn their home into a bed-and-breakfast. I am grateful to Kari's siblings, including in-law siblings, :-), other family members, and many friends for their support through all of this. Being part of the body of Christ is amazaing!
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