Dad's Home!

Thank you for your prayers! My dad came home from the hospital yesterday!! Yea! He went in for his kidney transplant Jan. 5th so he was glad to finally get to sleep in his own bed. Kidney is working great! Welcome home dad!!!

They're back! :)

My monkey friends have been back! They always put a smile on my face when they come by. My friend Christy has named them the Popos family. She lives around the corner and they have visited her as well. Check out her blog, her link is on mine. The house diagonally behind mine has a banana tree with some green bananas they have been nibbling on. They have also been on my fence. One was on the front gate as I was leaving, didn't have my camera for that shot. Enjoy the pics. There are 2 in the tree in the left photo above, can you find them?

Update on my dad: Dad is progressing. He is still in the hospital but doing better. He had a heart cath. that said his heart is functioning well and the blood flow to it is well. His fluid level is down, which makes his blood pressure more stable. It looks like the new kidney has been able to get caught up with it's new body. Keep him in your prayers as he progresses. It's been a rollercoaster ride for him and my mom. He's now been in the hospital for 2 weeks and wants to get home. Thank you for all your support.

The Lion King

Quick update: My dad ws improving and was out of ICU but is having trouble breathing this morning and might have to go back to ICU. He might be throwing clots into his lungs. He is calm and is on oxygen but is level headed and concious, just having to struggle to breathe. Thank you for your prayers. Thanks to some Christmas money I was able to go with some girls (they let the "old lady" join them) - Zinty, Jacci and Gabby (I have mentioned before) and Kimber and Julia who work with the Southern Baptist Mission Board to Joburg to see the Lion King on stage. What better place to see The Lion King than in Africa with a South African cast!!! I drove one of the two vehicles through the border and into South Africa and to Johannesburg. No problems, stayed on the left side of the road and made it to a restroom when needed and did not have to make any stops to use nature's latrine! I'm so proud of myself.

Anyway, it was FANTASTIC!!! The creativity involved in the costumes, the special effects, the stage design, choreography and lighting was AWESOME!!! If it ever comes to your area or you are in New York you have got to see it!!!! Even guys would love it. My favorite character was Zazu. The puppeteer and the bird were one and interacted so well you forgot that there was a person attached to Zazu. They don't let you take photos so these are stock from the web site but they do not do the play justice.

Update on My Dad!

Dad had a good day today (St. Louis time, it's already Wed AM here). He still has the vent in but hopes to get it out Wed. AM there. He had a minor episode this afternoon but otherwise has remained stable with his BP & 02 levels all day. They think the setback might have been an allergic reaction to the mega anti rejection drugs they gave him right after surgery. They usually give 3 mega doses after surgery and they had given him 2 doses when he had his setback so they will probably not give the 3rd. Otherwise he is alert & writing (can't talk with the vent) and was shocked that my brother had flown in. Thank you for your prayers. Our hope is that he moves out of ICU on Wed. and gets to go home by Sunday.

Major Setback!

Please continue to keep my dad in your prayers. He was doing great yesterday and then at dinner time last night his oxygen level dropped and his blood pressure became irractic. They ended up having to sedate and intubate him. He is in ICU, stable but sedated this morning and with the vent in. They are not sure at this point what happened and may never know. They have run a lot of tests. That's all I know at this point. It's hard having such limited communication and being so many miles away. This is where my faith meets the pavement. I know God called me here and that means I have to trust Him to be with my dad and to supply my dad's needs. I pray my dad will lean on the Lord as much as I do. May the Lord bless my dad and keep him. May the Lord make His face shine upon my dad and be gracious to him. May the Lord turn His face toward my dad and give him peace admist the storm he is struggling through. Thank you for your support and prayers!

My Dad got a Kidney transplant

I emailed a lot of you on Sunday that my dad had gotten a call Saturday night to come to the hospital for a possible kidney. He has been on the transplant list for over a year (but I did not know that until a few weeks before I came to Swaziland). I knew he was on PD dialysis at home for low kidney function but was unaware that they had totally stopped working after his surgery last year.

I got an email this morning in Swaziland (last night in the states) that he did recieve the kidney and it is in "A-1" condition and a good match. Even though he thought with his age he would only get a kidney from someone deceased, this one was from a live donor or so we think. My mom thinks it was someone who signed up to give a kidney to a relative but was not a match for their relative but when their relative got a kidney, they still donated but to a perfect stranger. Not sure though.


This is my plug though that if you have never signed the back of your drivers license to donate your organs, you should do it today! I thank the unknown person that gave up one of their kidneys for a total stranger and has to recover from major surgery from their act of kindness. Thank you! Thank you!! Thank you!!


Be in prayer for my dad as he recovers. Because he is on inmune surpressants they want him out of the hospital as soon as possible so he doesn't pick up any staff infections or other germs at the hospital. The best they hope for is a 4 day stay. They have filled him with IVs and the kidney seems to be doing it's job. It would seem strange to be so excited that you have to go pee! It is probable that dad will not have to have any more dialysis!!! Hooray!!!


Thank you God for this surprise blessing out of the blue!!!! You are awesome!!!

Me and my dad, Howard Sparks, just before I left for Swaziland November 2007!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

It’s the start of a new year! I know I don’t like to make New Year’s resolutions but when I think of what I would like to improve in myself in 2008 what would it be?
In 2007 I strove to trust God to work it out and lead me to the mission field since I felt Him leading me to become a missionary in November of 2006. And look, I’m here in Africa!! I don’t know how He worked it all out, but He did. By the world’s standpoint I should never have been able to get it all worked out to be over here. By the world’s standpoint and a lot of you, I’m just plain crazy. But I know beyond any doubt that I am supposed to be here is Swaziland, Africa. My goal last year was to prepare to come, physically, mentally and spiritually but what about this year?
This morning “The Word For You Today” devotional I brought with me from the Oasis Church, made me think of New Year Resolutions like “exercise”. It wasn’t talking about physical exercise which I admit I need to walk more after conquering Execution Rock :) but it talked about “walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called” (Eph.4:1). The devotion first talked about that “when we say yes to God, he imparts the ability we lack to perform His will. Note, the Lord doesn’t impart His ability first, then call us. No, He calls us, and as we step (walk) out in faith and obey Him, He imparts His ability.” So true!! How often have I not taken that step of faith and lost out on some amazing happenings. Last year I was able to take steps and God was true to His Word and imparted the ability for me to be here! Awesome! But what now?
When the devotion went on to talk about Ephesians 4:1 it said the word ‘walk’ “does not refer to some sort of meandering stroll. It means to stay in step with the Lord, to catch the beat of the Holy Spirit, and to move precisely as He moves.” What a picture that paints for me. When I was exercising by walking around the Oasis Church before I came to Africa, I remember trying to keep pace with Kathy and Jill, to stay in step. I love thinking of doing that with God!!! “Once you begin to walk to the rhythm of the Holy Spirit, nothing is going to matter as much to you as keeping pace with Him. You will find that the direction He takes you in is always the right direction, His timing is always the right timing, and the results you get are always the right results.” Awesome!! That’s my goal for 2008 and my verse I plan to memorize and hold to in order to accomplish it is 2 Timothy 2:15 “Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.” AMP.
I hope this has encouraged you to have a personal vision for 2008! You don’t have to be in Africa to walk with God. He’s everywhere. He just happened to walk me to Swaziland. My prayer is that I, my family and my friends will go to the next level with God (I’m starting to sound like Pastor Troy now). Step out in faith and challenge God to direct you where to go! Do you need to step out and shed fear, self doubt, pride, selfishness, bitterness, anger or do you need to not hold back but get into His Word or memorize scripture. Talk it over with God, He’ll let you know your own area. Email me or comment to my blog. Hold me accountable this next year to grow in studying God’s Word, not just listening to Troy’s sermons online (although they have been Spirit filled) or just reading devotionals or other studies but delving in myself. Have a Happy New Year, I know I plan too!

It's a Jungle Out There!

I'm loading my pictures first, before I start writing! It took me from 8 am to almost 3 pm to be able to sign on and get the pictures for my last blog uploaded. So while it's now working, I will load the pictures. Hopefully they will all get on before we lose the internet again.

Before Rajni left we took a day drive @ Hlane (pronounced Shlane but with a thick tongue on the "SH" and you say it out the sides of your mouth with the tip of your tongue between your teeth -- go ahead a try it, it takes practice but I'm starting to get it). Rajni took the picture of me, Zinty (my co-worker and becoming good friend) and Tamara her sister. The Hlane game reserve is one of the few in Swaziland with lions. Our first animal to check out was the dung beetle. (See it on the ball of dung? There is one on the other side too.) It's job in life is to roll up "sh_t" and take it away. For those that have gone through Healing Streams @ the Oasis Church, this was the name our group affectionately gave to Charlie. (because he so neatly rolls up all are dung from our past and shows us how to let God take it away)

It is best to see animals at sunrise or sunset because as it gets hot, remember it's summer here, the animals start to hide. The picture of the pond really is two hippos to the right of the little island poking their eyes out of the water. They are the most dangerous animal in Africa and their area was fenced off so we couldn't get too close. The ostrich was out though and didn't have his (or her) head in the sand! We found some white rhinos roaming and we then happened on a whole herd of elephants trying to cool off in the mud puddles they had made. You think you could spot them from a great distance but the trees and bushes really make you say where did they go as soon as you've driven off a few feet. Did you know elephants don't have any sweat glands and that is why God gave them big ears, to fan themselves? They also then need to splash mud and water over themselves. It was a blast watching the baby elephants try to figure out how to suck water into their trunks!

It was a relaxing day although my allergies were bad for the next several days. I think it was from when the guide said he could smell elephants and we all tried to inhale deeply and then asked what they smelled like -- He said dung and we stopped sniffing after that!!

Finally after searching and searching we found a pride of lions resting under a tree in the shade. It took my loud joking around to get the male to raise his head to see what the ruckus was all about.

So when you feel your world is going wild just remember me and that I really can say "it's a jungle out there"! Have a blessed 2008!

THE END!!!!