Message from the Johnson's

Dear Friends and Family,

We have GREAT news! First, we have found a private doctor to go to instead of the group of prenatal doctors at the hospital, and the care is about a million times better. This doctor actually read my file, asked good questions, and seemed to really take responsibility for my care. It was great to have the weight of feeling like I had to fight for every good medical decision taken off my shoulders. Also, this doctor agreed to schedule an extra ultrasound, which revealed that the
previa has moved enough that I should be able to have a normal delivery!!! God is incredible!

He says that the baby's head has already started dropping, so he still thinks I will deliver early, hopefully not too early but just right... However, if I haven't already delivered by 38 weeks he is willing to induce if we would like him to. That is wonderful because it means we can go ahead and tell Jesse's parents (who want to be here for the delivery) when to come so that they can help us watch Zach while the new baby is being born. Zach is still really insecure right now and
wants his Mommy AND Daddy with him at all times, but we think he might make an exception for Grandma and Grandpa, which will be important especially if I go into labor in the middle of the night. Please pray that we will not have to change the date on our return tickets to Burundi (the longest stay we could get on the cheaper 3 month tickets was until March 13). Birth certificate red tape in Kenya is notorious, and that would be the main cause of our having to wait.

Zach is eating REALLY well here at the guest house and gaining some weight (another answer to prayer), and the political situation continues to be unstable (right now there are still just occasional riots that cause parts of town to be blocked while police clear the area of demonstrators, but people are saying that if Kolfi Anan's negotiations bear no fruit, things could get drastically worse), so we will continue to stay here for two more weeks despite the extra
expense. At that point Jesse's brother Steven and cousin Lizzie will come to stay with us for their midterm break from boarding school. When they leave, we will reassess things and will probably move back to Ryders until Jesse's parents come.

I think we feel a little like people on board a 747 that started plummeting towards the ocean and then managed to pull out of the dive at the last minute. We are incredibly thankful and excited that we aren't crashing any more, but our hearts are still racing and we probably won't completely relax until the plane is on the ground and we can "remove our seatbelts because the plane has come to a complete stop". (No, this metaphor did not occur to me because I am starting to rival a 747 for size, though I may be approaching a Cessna...) We would appreciate your continued prayers for peace, for a safe delivery for the baby, and for wisdom in how to spend this last few weeks and what to tackle first when we return to Burundi. Please thank Him with us, too-- He has delivered us, as you helped us by your prayers, and now "many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many." 2 Cor. 1:11

Thank you again,
Jesse, Joy, and Zach