Kids Activities

The kids are enjoying going to LICS after-school activities. I got a few pictures of Austin & Coby during their karate class, and some of Kelsey during swim lessons. It began to rain near the end of swim lessons, so the class was cut short. Also, every Saturday morning the boys have been invited to play flag football at the American International School. Last week while Coby was in South Africa, Austin went to flag football and came home a complete mess. It had rained the night before and was off and on raining during the morning. This week, Coby was able to attend for the first time. On the first play, Coby ran to grab the flag off someone, and Austin was right behind him, they both ended up on the ground... Coby being underneath Austin... Ouch! Coby is such a good sport, he just got right up and went on playing. They both had a terrific time.

Medical Trip to Jo'burg

Ricky and the kids made it home safely on Monday evening. While in Johannesburg, South Africa for medical appointments, they did get to eat out at McDonald's and KFC (which we don't have in Zambia). Austin and I (Niki) were a little jealous... okay we were a lot jealous. But they did bring us some hamburgers back! They heated up nicely in the microwave and tasted just as good as if we were there. Thanks, Ricky!


Today, we received some of the test results back from Kelsey, and we are still waiting to hear from Coby's tests. Kelsey's tests showed a very high allergic tendency in general. The test for mixed inhalants was very high. Her grass screen was very high. She has a moderate allergy to egg whites, but not allergic to milk or egg yolks. And she has a moderate allergy to papaya. The medicine that Kelsey and Coby are taking on a daily basis is helping a great deal with the inhalant allergies and other things. We are limiting the egg whites for Kelsey as well as not giving her any papaya.


We will return to Jo'burg in March for our sectional meeting, and we will visit the pediatrician once more at that time. We appreciate everyone praying for Kelsey, Coby, and Ricky while they were away.
Coby & Kelsey playing at Guest House.
Look closely... in the distance is Johannesburg.

Update on Medical

Thank you for your continued prayers for Ricky, Coby, and Kelsey as they have been in South Africa seeking medical attention. Coby and Kelsey had some blood work done to determine the allergy they have. The doctor said they definitely are allergic to something. And Ricky received good news from the eye specialist... the scar on his left eye has disappeared! PTL! Now, he will continue to keep both eyes moist so the cornea will not tear again. All are well and will be coming home soon. Thanks again for keeping us in your prayers.

Goodbye Guests

Saying goodbye is one of things we missionaries have to get used to. People come and go in our lives, but it's wonderful to have the memories of the people who we come into contact with every single day. Laura and Sophie came to the guest house in early December and they were finally given the proper paperwork to take Sophie to the USA. We spent a lot of time getting to know Laura and Sophie, and we will miss them here in Zambia. But we know the Lord wanted them to go home. It has really been an adventure for Laura as she came to Zambia back in August with hopes to adopt Sophie. After many trials and struggles with the government, she was successful in her process and we are excited for Sophie to grow up in a loving home rather than an orphanage. We transported them to the airport on Tuesday, January 22. Sophie was asleep during the departure phase, so we said our goodbyes and prayed they would make it home safely. Don't forget Zambia - Sophia Grace!

3/5 of Family to Jo'burg

Last Saturday, Coby broke out with a rash, followed by Kelsey on Sunday morning. We immediately began to think about the 3 other times Kelsey has broken out in the same rash. Face reddens, face so swollen unrecognizable, tiny red bumps on arms and legs, and so on. As we questioned, the idea of a mango allergy seemed to be our answer. Both Coby and Kelsey had eaten mangoes on Friday by peeling them with their teeth (well, that's the way you eat a mango). The idea has been brought to our attention before, but without allergy testing, we have dismissed it. This time we thought it best to get a doctors opinion, in fact, 2 doctors' opinions. The 1st doctor said it was flea bites. The 2nd doctor says its chicken pox. Neither said mango allergy. So, it was decided that we need more answers as to why our children, or some of them, keep breaking out with a rash every few weeks. The decision was made to send Coby and Kelsey to Johannesburg, South Africa to consult with a pediatrician. Ricky will accompany them on the trip as Austin and I stay in Lusaka and hold down the Guest House. We would appreciate your prayers during this time, as we can clearly see how Satan is trying his best to attack us. He doesn't want us in Zambia spreading God's Word, but he will not win! We are encouraged that the doctors in Jo'burg will figure out this rash mystery. Keep praying!!!

BLACK OUT

Last Saturday evening, as we were eating dinner at the Shaw's, the power went out. We didn't know at the time there was going to be an 8-hour black out. We continued to play cards by candlelight, but finally decided to call it a night - a BLACK night! Power was restored by Sunday morning in our area, but then went out again on Monday evening. Tonight (Tuesday) it went off again early evening, but came back on within an hour. You can read about what's happening at the following link:
http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Jan20/0,4670,SouthernAfricaElectricity,00.html
Other than no internet, no TV, no opening the fridge to see what's available to eat... we are doing just fine playing card games with the kids. Kelsey is getting really good at "Old Maid."
So, this also explains my blog posting recently. Please forgive me as I will try to do better about updating.

After-School Activities

The Cook kids have begun afternoon activities at the Lusaka International Community School (LICS). They began on Monday, January 14th with Coby taking football (that's soccer for you Americans). It was raining, but Coach K practiced their drills under the covered court. On Tuesday, Kelsey joins her friend, Hannah Rodgers, for "Funky Movers" which is a dance class. Austin was excited on Wednesday to have his 1st chess club meeting, but when we arrived at our scheduled time the teacher was not going to make it that day. Austin was disappointed since he had been practicing on the computer that morning for chess. And, finally, today all 3 kids attended their classes. Kelsey went to swimming class, which we thought might be cancelled due to the rain, but it quickly subsided just in time. Coby & Austin are taking Karate during the same time on Thursday. We are excited about the possibilities the kids will have in spending time with other kids and forming relationships. The classes seem to be very interesting and enjoyable for both the kids and us, the parents. It is giving them a chance to get out of the house and do something fun with other kids. This first week has been a learning experience finding our classrooms and getting to class on time, so I was unable to get pictures this first week, but I promise to post some pics as soon as possible.