16 months 7 days

Somebody pointed out yesterday that we did not have a picture of Sammy. That was true. Today I only have two pictures, and one is of Sammy. When children are sick, they need more of your attention, which means less is given to the others, and today was the toughest day yet in terms of their health. That is especially Tammy's, but also Emmy's. Only Sammy was as happy as ever. The last night already being so short, I couldn't keep my eyes open before it was even 8 pm, but now I'm better.

The day started with Tammy throwing up at 6 am - just milk. The rest of the day she either refused to eat, or threw up the few bites she did eat. And she was lying down all day, not playing. We constantly gave her liquid to keep her from being dehydrated. And I was in constant communication with the doctor, either talking or texting. She told us what to get for the throwing up, and Paul got it for us. She had one suppository tonight, and is getting another one in the middle of the night. As for the diarrhea, we started giving them the new medication last night, but today it was worse than ever for all of them.

I'm now counting the days until we leave - 4 days - but that still seems longer than I would like it to be. I sure hope Tammy feels better tomorrow.

As for Emmy, he was more tired than usual and pretty cranky because of it, but did play a little bit. And he did eat some meals just fine.

I spent much of my time lying down with either Tammy or Emmy, or being in the play area with them, trying to keep them as happy as possible, while being extremely tired myself. So was Randy. Thank God we have Barbara who did all the cooking.

This was the worst day yet, at least for Tammy. Please keep praying for her and the boys to be completely restored. And for God to replenish our strength during this difficult time. When God uses you for healing, sickness is how the enemy attacks you the most, and we see that attack a lot here, as we see a lot of healings and miracles.

Thank you for praying. And we have already heard every advice out there, and are already doing much of it. We're thankful we have a doctor who has lived in Mali a long time and knows what to do. Please pray for all five of us to get a good night's rest tonight.