Sickness...

So I have been sick all this week with what looks to be E. Coli... Yeah, that's right, E. Coli. Sure it could possibly be some other little devious bug or micro-organism, but rest assured it has to do with somebody’s poop and somehow me ingesting it... Great visual, right?! 

Since Monday (today is Thursday) I have been fighting to get healthy and it hasn't been easy. Monday was the inception and definitely the worst day. I felt crappy when I woke up and had a feeling that I knew what was around the corner. I went to work anyway (somehow went the entire 45 min bus ride with out throwing up) where I didn't actually get to do any work. When the doctor got in she saw me right away. She gave me some injection - of which I still don't know what it was - and then they had me try and rest and drink some tea. But unfortunately things got worse fast and they gave me some oxygen... but I don't think it did anything for me. The doctor and nurse (and even the dentist) told me I should go to the hospital, but do you really think I went?? Eventually I got the guts to go home, which meant another 45 minute bus ride home. And somehow... not quite sure how... but somehow by the grace of God I made it back home just in time to puke in the toilet. Or almost the toilet... well mostly the toilet. I may have missed a little. I felt OK for a little but then the strange stuff started happening. Weird and painful things started happening in my stomach and my hands and feet were asleep - dead asleep. I remained in this state of crappiness, slept off and on, until about 5 am when I could feel my extremities again. I know it was about 5 am because that's when I got up to deal with the diarrhea... The next few days (up until now) I have been battling stomach pains and a serious lack of energy. I went to work Wednesday - which was a bad idea - and now today I am back in bed under doctor's (Kevin's) orders.

This is 4th time that I've been seriously ill in less than 3 months. And, no, I don't count having diarrhea as being sick. If that's all I had to deal with then, well, you wouldn't get to hear all about this wonderful blog I'm posting. I have never been this sick in my entire life. Annually I may deal with a cold back home but that's about it. Being here has really been testing my physical makeup. I can't help but wonder why - or for what purpose - I keep getting sick here. I don't want to leave this place before my expected date, but if my body keeps taking a beating like it has, I might have to cut short  my time here.

I think I blogged some about the second time I got sick - when I stayed in the hospital. Getting sick 2 more times since then really has opened my eyes to a couple things. 1. That we are so lucky in the states that we can eat wherever we want to and don't even have to give a second thought to whether we will get sick or not. And 2. Perseverance and sacrifice have totally new meanings.

I have to give a lot of love and recognition to my parents for encouraging me through the difficult times and giving me a perspective that I am eternally grateful for and hope I never lose. My mom sent me this the other day and I wanted to share it with everyone. It's a blatant reminder of the importance of being a living sacrifice if you consider yourself a Christian and has encouraged me in my purpose here - especially since I've been sick:

Living Sacrifice:

As Christ sacrificed himself and then rose to life again, we must die so that we may live. We do this by "crucifying" the desires of our will and following the will of God (Mark 10:28-30). We sacrifice ourselves by living for Christ each day (Romans 12:1-2, 1 Peter 2:5). When Jesus prayed, "Not my will, but thine be done" (Luke 22:41-44), he showed us that the will of the flesh must be subject to the will of the Spirit. Jesus told us to take up our cross and follow him (Luke 9:23-26). This means that we willingly bear the burden of serving Christ (Colossians 3:17, Philippians 4:6). Our body and our spirit oppose one another (Romans 8:5-7). The one that prevails is the one we make stronger. The Apostle Paul taught that all Christians must crucify their flesh with the affections and lusts (Galatians 5:24). Through sacrifice and devotion, we strengthen the spirit and weaken the flesh. For example, the exhortations we receive from our pastors and their sermons feed our soul and to make us spiritually strong (Jeremiah 3:15, Ephesians 4:12, 2 Timothy 2:1-7). If we do not use the means to nourish our soul, we will become spiritually weak and, eventually, deceived (Hebrews 10:25, Hebrews 3:13, Luke 21:36). If we sacrifice our own will as Christ sacrificed his, others will see the testimony of Christ in us (1 Thessalonians 4:1-7, 5:21-22). To establish this testimony, we must allow God's will to guide all of our thoughts and actions (Matthew 6:33, Proverbs 3:5-7). Other people see our testimony and judge the God we serve by the lifestyle and examples they see in us (1 Peter 2:9-11, Matthew 5:14-16, 2 Corinthians 4:1-6, Daniel 3:23-29). If we maintain a sacrificial life in all we do, we will be an example to others and will always be ready to meet the Lord in peace (2 Peter 3:11-14). Jesus lived a life of sacrifice his entire life, not just at his death. Apostle Paul spoke of how he died daily (1 Corinthians 15:31, John 12:24-25). Likewise, we must offer our sacrifices to God on a daily basis (Psalms 61:8, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18). We must pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17), or we will fall into Satan's cunning traps (Luke 22:40). Unless we die daily, we cannot be alive in Christ and freed from our sins (Romans 8:1-14).

One cannot serve Christ and himself at the same time (Matthew 6:24); therefore, no self-righteous sacrifice will be accepted by God. We cannot sacrifice the flesh by glorifying it (Luke 18:9-14, Matthew 23:14). The prayers of self-righteousness are repulsive to God (Isaiah 58:1-4). The term "self-righteous" implies that we are trusting in our own righteousness and not God's. However, God cherishes the prayers of the righteous (Revelations 8:3-4). Our sacrifice and devotion to God will not compare to the reward we will receive when Jesus comes to take us home to be with him forever (Hebrews 6:10).