Chad Michael

Well, one little mistake is all it takes sometimes. I was finishing up some work on a remodeling project. As the counter tops were coming together, There was a little piece of trim that needed to be cut back an inch. Out comes the utility knife and I stark cutting it back. I was just about through and gave it one last hard slice. At that same moment my left hand moved into just the right position so that when the piece came loose, my left pinky finger caught the blade on the down swing! Oops! I've found that when I hurt myself badly, I usually have about 60 seconds before I start to feel a little queasy. So I folded my finger back onto my hand and walked swiftly to the kitchen and ran it under some water. After looking at it, I decided that I should go to the ER to get it stitched up. Ruth was in Seattle at a Children's Ministry Conference so I called for Meliah to round up the kids in the van so we could all go in together.

Meliah was great! when she saw what I had done, she got me band-aid and wash cloths to wrap up my hand, then she got the kids in the van. She even volunteered to drive! I considered it for a minute, but she's only 14 and no learner's permit. We live about 20 minutes from the nearest emergency room, and I was feeling good enough to make the drive in. About 10 minutes into the trip, I started feeling a lot better and the queasiness left. By the time I got to the ER entrance, my once-white wash cloths were the beautiful color of bright red! The ER got me processed and let me know I had severed the nerves, some of the tendons, and cut a little into the joint capsule. They stitched the wound up but said I would need to talk to a specialist to see about fixing all the inside parts. Saw the specialist yesterday and they said it would be a difficult fix but they were confident that they could do it. The recovery sounds like a major pain though! I tried to talk the doc into just removing the pinky instead of paying for an expensive surgery and dealing with the long recovery. But he refused! I'm sure there is a back alley doc that I could get to do it. Of course, I have another new blade for the knife... :)

Actually, the thing that convinced me to keep my finger was when the doc explained that you actually get a lot of your gripping strength from the pinky being there. So, I'm scheduled for surgery tomorrow and will just have to deal with 6-8 weeks of therapy to get my mobility back.

Good thing I did this with enough time to get surgery and heal up good before we move to Ukarumpa! I'm sure the clinic down there is great, but this may have been a little more than they could handle. The moral of the story? Always cut AWAY from the rest of your body! And it only takes a split second mistake with a sharp knife to create weeks or months of consequences. But, I know we only get these bodies for a while. It will all turn to dust eventually. Romans 6:13 tells us that God has given us a body to be used as an "instrument" or "tool" for His glory while we live here in this fallen world for a short time. The Bible instructs us to care for our bodies as gifts from God. So we need to take good care of them and not intentionally damage them. But if damage does happen, I recognize that it's not really my body to begin with, it's God's, and that helps me to be less concerned about the physical. God wants for us to keep our bodies working "enough" so that we can continue to be used to fulfill His purposes, and I think I can keep trying to do that just fine with a missing or messed up finger. People have sure done the Lord's work with a lot worse. All that to say, it's just a finger and in the big scheme of things, it's really not that important.

Update From the Day of Surgery

Seriously??!!! Surgery was a "success" and they were able to repair the nerve and tendons. But... They didn't tell me that I was going to come home with a giant club on my arm! Now I can't use any of my fingers on my left hand, and I have to wear this until after Easter weekend!!! Plus, I have to somehow keep it elevated for 3 days. This is going to be really tough for me to keep clean and dry. This does not make me happy. Well, I guess I can only blame myself. The only thing that makes it bearable is my beautiful and caring wife and family. They are taking great care of me. Well, enough complaining and whining, I'm going to bed and sleep it off :(

The better part of last week I spent with several Bible translators and Wycliffe representatives at a 5-day course titled Total It Up (TIU). The purpose of this program is to give aspiring translators a taste of what's involved in Bible translation. The Bible translated into a person's hear language is essential for personal spiritual growth and is the foundation of the church. Without the Bible, we have no basis for worshiping the God of creation and learning about God's plan of salvation through Jesus Christ.

We heard from experts in their field in Phonetics, Phonology, Grammar, Translation, Language Learning and much more! It was surprisingly fascinating and I could actually see myself pursuing it further someday. At the very least, it really helped me to understand the kind of work we'll be supporting while we serve with Wycliffe down in Ukarumpa, PNG.

Thanks to all the instructors and the other students at TIU! I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and won't forget it!

New Horizons Community Church has been our church home for about the last 12 years. About 4 years ago, I recommitted my life to the Lord, and this time I was really serious. I finally understood at a heart level the design for family that God planned for us. While I'll never be perfect by any stretch of the imagination, my life is slowly changing, step-by-step, to better reflect God's glory as I live in obedience to Him. And a big part of living in obedience for us, has been prayerfully listening to God's direction for our lives individually.

Responding to the Call - NHCC Message From February 20th 2011

Above are a series of pictures of Ruth when she was in her late teens on a Royal Servants missions trip through Europe. Our journey with Wycliffe has rekindled a passion for missions in her heart.

A couple of years ago I heard a few spots on the radio about Wycliffe Bible Translators. As part of the program, they kept pleading for volunteers to help with their goal of seeing a translation effort in every language that needs it by 2025.

Today about 340 million people do not have the Bible in their own language. Wycliffe’s vision is to see the Bible accessible to all people in the language they understand best. To make this vision a reality, Wycliffe also focuses on community development, literacy development and church partnerships.

At the time, I had found myself with a little time on the side and thought I might be able to help with some work from home. Given that software development sometimes lends itself to telecommuting, I figured I’d give ’em a call.

After going through the application process and being approved as a Wycliffe volunteer, the first opportunity they sent my way was a 1 year commitment in Papua New Guinea! I’ll admit to being somewhat enticed by the idea. But it wasn’t practical! I have a wife, three kids, I’m very involved at their school and at the church. Too many commitments, too many relationships. So, I passed.

Over the course of the next couple years, an occasional email would come through asking for software developers or IT help in different parts of the world. I kept looking for something that I could do from home, and even responded a few times mentioning that I would be a great fit, except that I wasn’t in a position to move my family.

In the last month or so, the Lord has been working on us. At church we’ve wrapped up a series on I Corinthians 13, the love chapter. One of the underlying themes throughout the series this time around has been on having a “biblical perspective”. Remembering our God given purposes, and using what He has given us towards what He has called us to.

The Monday after a message that was heavy on missions, guess what popped into my inbox… Papua New Guinea. I prayed it over some and moved on. But this time, it stuck in my mind. I mentioned it to a couple of close friends and we took it to prayer. It was starting to “bug” me so I decided to mention it to my wife so she could knock some sense in to me. When I mentioned it to her, I just about fell out of my chair, when she said we should pray about it!

Well, a lot of prayer and rumination later, we decided God was telling us to take the next step! I responded and am now looking over a bunch of information about Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Ukarumpa. Not sure where this will end up, but I imagine it would be blog worthy so I’ll plan to make updates here on occasion and more information pours in.

God Bless!

-Chad