More December...

Daddy opening Christmas gifts with Alyssa and Lianna.

Christmas Eve dinner at our friend's house. Lianna loved getting to sit by Oma!

December

Here is Papa enjoying some cuddle time with his grand girls! :)

Here the girls are having a pajama day playing with their buses. Alyssa started the race and then Lianna joined in. It has been so fun to see the girls loving to play with one another.

We have had a lot of snow here in Hungary this winter. This was the FIRST TIME that Lianna was strong enough in her walking to be able to walk in boots in the snow without assistance!!! PRAISE GOD!

On December 2, 2010, Alyssa Noelle turned 1 year old!!! Happy Birthday Alyssa! :)

Here is a picture of one of our students teaching English in a local Hungarian public school in Budapest. This was a great outreach that our students did here in Hungary!

Gramma and Grampa Olsen Visit..and the Youngs

Mr. Richard and Kim Young came to visit with Gramma and Grampa.

Lianna loved cuddling with Gramma and Grampa while they were here.

We had a GREAT time when they came to visit! The girls loved getting to play with Gramma and Grampa!

Lianna and Alyssa loved playing with the doll house with Gramma.

Of course they loved it when Grampa and Gramma would read to them too!

We even got to celebrate an early Christmas with presents that they brought in their suitcase!

Wow..God always meets us in our struggles...ALWAYS!

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted" Matt. 5:4

So, in my last post, I talked about struggling with feeling alone and I feel a short explanation might be needed. When we left Chicago, we left an amazing Young Marrieds group that really encouraged us in our marriage and walk with the Lord. We had small groups and well...a lot of other friend and family support. God has blessed us with a great Christian community to be part of here in Hungary, but we still miss some of those friendships when we could walk life together on a daily basis. We had a few couples that mentored us (Bjorn and I), and we miss them and their encouragment and guidance too.

Having kids here, and not having that same support is challenging at times. God has been faithful though, and is bringing other couples to us and for that we are incredibly thankful.

A big struggle lately has been sweet Lianna's speech. Sadly, she is struggling greatly with getting the words out and expressing what she wants/needs. In the last week, she has started biting herself in frustration. She bites her wrists and leaves deep teeth marks. She also has started hitting herself in the face.

I write this to you and ask that you would please pray for her. Please pray specifically for her speech and to give her frustration to Jesus and not hurt herself. Please pray that when Bjorn and I can't understand her, that God would give us insight on what she is trying to communicate. Pray that even though I am not a speech therapist and have all this great ideas up my sleeve to pull out to help Lianna, that God would meet me and teach me...lead me...and that I would put it in his BIG hands.

A couple of days ago we were sitting in the kitchen and Lianna kept saying the same thing over and over again. In her sweet mind, it made perfectly good sense...but Bjorn and I sturggled to understand what she was trying to communicate. Lianna started screaming and whining and Bjorn and I watched out sweet little girl with her head buried in her arms on the table. These are moments that the enemy loves to stir up dissention between Bjorn and me too...because we are so overwhelmed with how to help her. Please pray that as a family we would ALWAYS stop in these exact moments and give them to Jesus, so that the enemy does not get a foothold.

Bjorn and I decided that we really need to cry out to the Lord with this struggle.

I do have to tell you an amazing story though of how God has met us in this struggle this week. This past week I called a friend in the states to wish her kids a happy birthday. She answered and said, "Trisha, I am so glad that you are calling, because I have something to tell you and I didn't want to forget. Last night, all night long I kept waking up. In my dreams and when I was awake, I kept praying for Lianna. I kept praying specifically for her speech."

There I sat holding the phone with tears in my eyes, and have them even now as I write. How amazing is our God? Here is my friend that lives on the other side of the world and has NO IDEA of this struggle that we've been having specifically this week, let alone the day before at the kitchen table. I stand amazed at the body of Christ. She felt compelled to pray for our family due to the prompting of the Holy Spirit!

Thank you Jesus, for hearing our hearts' cry. We beeseech you Lord to meet us in the midst of our struggle and give us peace. Amen

Cup of Tea and Jesus

I have been reading through the book of Job. Each day I've been trying to read one chapter in Job, and then the corresponding pages for each chapter (usually about 8-10 pages) from the book The Gospel According to Job by Mike Mason. I have found that during the girls' nap time in the afternoon is the perfect time for a "cup of tea and Jesus."

Mike Mason really does an amazing job at taking a deeper look into the book of Job and the dialogues between Job and his buddies, if you can really even call them that. Everyday, after reading...I feel like there was so much meat that I need to digest in what was written...that I need more time to mull it apart in my mind. However, at the same time I can't wait to keep reading.

This personal book study is definitely going to have to be a repeat...there is just so much to learn from Job..Have you ever read Mason's book? If not...put it on your must read list, and don't forget to read the book of Job with it!

Lately, I've been challenged emotionally...feeling stuck. Then two days ago, I came to reading Job 29 and Mason's chapter entitiled, "Uselessness."

Chew on these words from Mason...

"Suffering puts us out of commision (at least from our perspective), so that we can no longer work, no longer contribute, no longer do much of value."

"Perhaps it is even true that the very soul of suffering is not so much pain itself, in all its forms, as it is the simple humiliation of having all our plans brought to a standstill, the indignity of being made to stop and wait."

"When the Lord appreared to Moses, and later to Joshua, to each of them He said the same thing;"Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground" (Ex.3:5, Josh 5:15) Why should you take off your shoes in the Lord's presence? Because without shoes you are not going anywhere. You might try to walk, but you will not get very far, especially in the hot sand and shorp rocks of the wilderness...Barefootedness means immobilization, and so it is a symbol of submission."

"Being immoblie (in other words, having nothing better to do) is a prerequisite for worship, and worship is the prerequisite for all activity, all service."

"We need to learn how to kick off our shoes and discover that the place where we are standing is holy."

"If today we find our soul (pun intended) wearing out, it may be because we are running around doing a lot of things that the Lord has not told us to do. We want to be fruitful. We want to work for our chruch and contribute to our society. We want to do something, not simply believe."

Lastly, he encourages the reader with the following words from Catherine Doherty: "If you want to see what a 'contribution' really is, look at the Man on the cross. That's a contribution. When you are hanging on a cross you cannot do anything becuase you are crucified."

Oh to keep my eyes on Christ and the cross...sometimes it is easy to go a day without thinking about what Christ did for us on the cross. It often seems much easier to be self absorbed with my eyes looking inward...on how all that is going on in this world is affecting me. That my friends is called selfishness. That is sin.

The last couple days, I have been encouraged to think of how my moments of lonliness, restlessness and feeling useless...are moments that God has a bigger plan than I have for myself. Sometimes God puts our personal plans at a standstill because they are not from Him. Wouldn't we rather enjoy what God has in store for us? Sometimes God has us alone so that He alone can be the author and perfector of our faith. It is amazing to think of how I continue to fall in love with Jesus more and more each day...and for that I am so thankful.

I have to remember that Satan is full of lies and wants me to feel useless and wants to distract us from what God has called us to do. Sometimes that is simply loving Jesus and being loved by Him.

Praise God! He is in it ALL!

The last few days I have been going through old papers. As you can imagine, I have a TON of medical paperwork from Lianna. I have been rummaging through papers and trying to organize them into folders from her neurologists, orthopedic surgeon, eye specialists, sleep specialists, ENTs, pediatricians and specialists from multiple countries, orthotic specialist, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists..and the list goes on...

Then I moved on to organize all the tests that she has had done over the last three years and am organizing all those papers...multiple sleep studies, EEGs, MRI's, ultrasounds, swallow studies, genetic testing and lots of blood work, ENT camera exams, hospital exams done in Germany, Hungary, and the US...Like I said, it is pretty extensive..

The doctors tell you it is important to keep all of this information organized, because no one is going to remember her journey or medical records like you will, as her parents. And it will be important to have it all put together because what if something happens to you...her parents. As parents we don't think of that too often, but the doctors are right..we don't know the number of days that God will bless us with our kids.

It reminds me that...yes, for those of us that have special needs kids, their medical journeys are important and their history and progress...but how much more important is our kids' journey seeking to know Jesus? Yes, doing therapy at home is important and necessary for Lianna's development, but how are we as parents investing in daily nourishment for our kids' souls? How are they getting to know Jesus better each day? Do we remind them that God is in all things?

I marvel at how God went before us...for each one of these doctor appointments. My memory is flooded with witnessing opportunities that we have had with all of these people. As I reminisce, my eyes fill with tears...tears of joy, of hardship and sorrow, and thankfulness. As I look through different papers, I remember different people in the body of Christ that reached out to us at different times.

It makes my heart happy to know how each one of these doctors always makes comments about how seeing Lianna is the highlight of their day. Lianna has an amazing story already of how God has gone before her...she has stories of how God performed miracles right before the very eyes of doctors.

As I progress through this mound of paperwork, I am amazed how the Lord sustained Bjorn and me through it all..and still does. Three years into this medical journey, we can now look back a short distance and see how God's hand was in it ALL. Not that we ever doubted that He was in it all, but it is amazing how God gives us little glimpses of His character as we stand back and examine our own lives and the journey that God has taken us.


Three years ago we had an 8 month old that couldn't sit or roll over, open her hands, put weight on her legs, swallow without choking, smile due to low muscle tone in her face, or be a day without seizure medicine 2x's day. We had doctors that told us that they weren't sure what Lianna would be able to do in the future because her muscle tone was so low. But, God answered our prayers and heard our cry. God has allowed our little girl to first learn to walk with a walker (check our old post to see a video or her walking on castle hill in Budapest) with the assistance of leg braces, to now being able to walk independently. Yes, she still needs the leg braces, but she can walk....she can walk! At age 2.5 God gave her the gift to be able to walk independently. At age 3.5 she even has the muscle control to be potty trained. Praise God! We are praying that God will bless Lianna with the ability to speak, but only God knows if this is a gift that awaits her.

I have learned that through suffering, trials, and even moments of blessing, we are to keep our focus on the cross.

I am amazed at how God never gives us more than we can handle. I remember the peace that God gave us to get pregnant with Alyssa Noelle. I am amazed at how even on bed rest for 6 weeks when I was pregnant with Alyssa, God was right there..in it all. He stopped my labor, and allowed Alyssa not to be born in the NICU. My heart is filled with joy as I see Alyssa progressing so fast in her development and what a gift that it is...a gift that many of us never even think about, because for many of us it happens so naturally. It is amazing to see how God created our bodies...amazing!

My heart is so full when I get to see my girls play with each other. The Lord gives gifts and takes them away..and only He knows the reasons behind it all. I can rest in confidence that even in my miscarriage back in May...God was in that too and that my little baby that was "supposed to be" is resting in the arms of our heavenly father. I may not understand it all, but that is okay..the important thing is that I need to trust Him through it all.

As we walk this road of life, there are times that God will take us through rough roads, but He will use them to draw us closer to Himself. We will be reminded that we are in the safety of the palm of His hand.

I can't help but want to praise our Savior in Heaven as I go through all these papers.

Praise God that He is the author and perfector of our faith!
Praise God that He promises to never leave us nor forsake us!
Praise God that He promises to give us a peace that transcends all understanding!
Praise God that He answers us in the day of trouble!
Praise God that He hears our cries and desires of our heart!
Praise God that we don't need to understand it all!
Praise God for the body of Christ, and how we can walk this road called life together!
Praise God He saves a wretch like me!
Here is a picture of Lianna running with bags of American candies and her new princess necklace that were sent to us in the mail last week. She was so excited....can you tell? Who knew candy corn and Reeses were so excited....okay, well, I was probably just as excited! :D

The Girls

Alyssa Noelle, she is progressing in her development so quickly. She is crawling everywhere and even trying to pull herself up on furniture. She likes to get into everything and is always on the move. We are so thankful to the Lord for her health and development.

Lianna Joy also got new glasses this summer. She is soooo proud of them! She loves wearing them, and they are really helping her.

We were so happy to make it out to Grand Rapids this summer to see some of our ministry partners. One of our friends took this picture outside their home, and we're thinking out making it our next prayer card photo...yes, I know we REALLY need to update ours!

Lianna had a sleep study at Central Dupage hospital over the summer. She had such a good attitude about it. Even when they were hooking her all up to the machines, she was still smiling! She has a sleep disorder, but praise God that the doctor confirmed through the study that there are no seziures that are disrupting her sleep. This september we will celebrate Lianna being seizure free for 1 year off of all of her medicine. Lianna's neurologist also told us that he doesn't need to see Lianna again until next summer! WOO HOO! Next summer she will have to have another brain MRI...so if the Lord brings it to your mind...please start praying for this!

Lianna and her cousin Sammi had fun getting to play with each other while we were back in the US for about 5 weeks this summer. This picture was too cute not to post.

St. Janos Korhaz

Well, this past Saturday, Lianna had a NASTY fall on our front porch. Bjorn, Lianna and I were all sitting outside doing our devotions when disaster struck. Sweet Alyssa was napping and missed out on all the excitement!

Lianna turned herself around in the big plastic chair, and it came crashing down. Her face managed to hit her face on the edge of the tile porch and then came the blood, and then more blood, and then more...and whew..Bjorn and I were scared!

It would have taken too long for the ambulance to come all the way from the city, so we called our friends, Brad and Kari to come over and watch Alyssa. Brad drove us to the hospital in the city.

Praise God that HE protected her from having a concussion and seizures. She cut up the inside of her mouth pretty bad, and needed to get her chin glued back together, but she seems to be healing just fine. We went to the doctor yesterday to get her cut checked for infection and it seems to be healing nicely. She still is having a very hard time eating and swallowing, so please continue to pray for her.

Now we have experienced our first trip to the emergency room in Hungary. Thankfully, no matter where we are in the world...God is in control of it all. He alone can give us peace in the midst of chaos and uncertainty around us. He will never give us more that we can handle...although sometimes it feels like He takes us pretty close to the edge.

Sometimes all these journeys in the medical world these past few years can trip sensor anxiety and fear in my life. Right now I am memorizing Psalm 94:19- When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul. Thank goodness for the Word of God and the comfort that it can bring when we tread the waters of this life.

The girls with their Papa and new friend, Frieda

In April, Papa Stienstra came to visit, and we LOVED getting to hang out with him for a few weeks!

Alyssa Noelle is already 6 months, eating solid foods, and sitting like a big girl!

It is pretty fun to get to take out all your fun baby girl dresses and get more use out of them the second time around! Seriously, Alyssa Noelle is such a happy baby...I just LOVE all her smiles!

At the international doctors office lobby, we met another little girl, Frieda, who has low tone like Lianna. Frieda and her family are from Norway and they came over for an American BBQ. The girls had fun examining eachother's leg braces and playing together...and we had a grea time talking with Frieda's parents!

Feb. pics of the Girls

Don't you just love expressions like this? I often wonder...just what is she thinking?
Cheese! Our little beauty...
Seriously, you can't get any cuter than this... :)
Can you believe this dress used to be mine when I was a baby? My great aunt from Germany made this for me when I was a baby.
Daddy hanging out with his little girls!

Back home....

We arrived safe back in Hungary. It is hard to believe that we have already been here for one week. Jet lag with two kids...WOW! That is intense....I wonder if it is a small taste of what having twins is like..NEVER sleeping at the same time! It has been a pretty exhausting..but it is SO great to be back. Last night Bjorn and I each got a few more hours of sleep so that was greatly welcomed and appreciated. Hopefully, the girls are getting over the time change. "They" say that it usually takes you about a day for each hour time difference, so that would mean that by this weekend we should all be back on schedule.

The moment that we pulled up to our apartment, Lianna said, "Home!" Wow..that was amazing. Every time with leave the house and pass through the gate, she says, "Home!" It is really sweet to hear her say that. Today Lianna was "teaching" Alyssa how to complete a puzzle. She would look at Alyssa after putting in each piece and wait for her to clap (with Mommy's assistance of course) and in sign language say, "More, please." Lianna was so happy that Mommy was helping her use sign language to talk to her..she had the biggest smiles...I wish I could have taken a picture of the three of us sitting at the kitchen table. It was precious.

The night after we got back we headed to school for the senior auction where they served taco salad..it was a good thing that they were serving food, because we didn't have any food in the house and our car papers had expired while we were gone so we could drive to get groceries. :)

Bjorn is LOVING being back at school and I LOVED getting to see my Bible study girls yesterday. Yes, I think it is fair to say that it is good to be home...it is good to be home.

December 2009

Lianna and Alyssa had matching Christmas dresses and they looked stinkin' cute!
Seriously, could she look more like her Daddy? Where are those Stienstra genes?
Lianna was thrilled to get Barney videos to take back to Hungary..but now she is totally into Yo Gabba Gabba...good thing we got her one of those videos too!
Oma-ma and Uncle Richie admiring our newest addition, Alyssa Noelle
I wish they made these swings for adults...doesn't that look cozy?

Alyssa Noelle Olsen

Alyssa Noelle, our American born princess and big sister, Lianna Joy, our Hungarian born princess...we are soooo blessed!
Ga-ga Olsen and Grampa came to visit Alyssa in the hospital too!
Uncle Derek, Oma and Papa came too.. Uncle Richie and Aunt Denise came to the hospital to visit too, but I guess I forgot to take a picture of them holding sweet Alyssa
Uncle Tino and Aunt Jenny came too..they were actually the first to come visit. It was a lot of fun having family come and visit in the hospital with this delivery..and every doctor and nurse spoke English in the hospital too which was a HUGE bonus!
Sweet Alyssa Noelle sleeps as peaceful as this picture looks...really, we are so blessed by what a great sleeper she is already..now for the time change that we are about to embark on..hmm...should be interesting...