Not Quite Finished

While back in the States I don’t think I realized what my daily routine looked like. Yes, I worked out every single day. Every other day I rowed for 4000 yards and then swam for 1000 yards. On the days in between I rode my bike for five miles or more. Sometimes in the afternoons my wife and I would go for a mile walk in a park. On Sundays I rested. So I was getting my daily exercise and it was right at a high level for my age. 

The thing to consider with that was I am needing surgery on my left knee and ankle. I was supposed to get the surgery on my ankle this past August, but just a month before that the surgeon’s office told me that he was no longer doing surgeries! So I have put that off until we return home from our assignment overseas (next year). I also probably need a knee replacement on my left knee, though every doctor I have gone to has told me there is nothing wrong with it. I keep asking them, why then is my knee so painful? I have a real struggle when walking up stairs or any incline. While living in Florida where the land is flat it has been mediocre, but here where we are now, the city is built upon hills and is at 3000’ elevation. It’s whining to me all the time. Surgery is on the horizon.

Then there is the job assignment here. We are caring for a guest house and there is a lot of daily work that needs to be done. It is 50 years old. Many things are cosmetic but there are also some major repairs that we have been involved in. What has surprised us it how exhausted we have been since we arrived. Some of it can be attributed to the elevation. Some of it is the heat here where it often reaches 100 degrees (today). Some of it to the fact that we are on our feet for more that 8000 steps each day. That is not normal in the States. We don’t have a car here so we do a lot more walking than in the States. Exercise on a rowing machine or in a pool is not standing and working on one’s feet and legs. And some of it, ahem, can be zeroed in to our age. Moving around constantly day after day is not something that we have been used to the past few years. 

Adding to all of this is that I had an endoscopy done a week prior to our departure and while most things were good, there was something called Barretts Esophagus that I was diagnosed with. I am taking medicine for it but it doesn’t seem to be doing what it is supposed to do. 

So, we are at the stage of wondering, is it elevation, constantly on our feet, age, or physical condition, that has us worn out by the afternoon of most every day? Through all of our questioning we are confident that it is God who called us here, and He is the one who is the Master Physician. We are really enjoying being here and serving the King and trust in Him to keep us in shape for this assignment. We have two more months in this place and are relishing it as it is very familiar to us. We have lots of friends here, however, many of them are leaving for the summer months. This will be sad but I’m sure that we will stay busy with our work. After all, He called us here for a purpose and while we may not know all of them right now, we are open and willing to follow His paths.