October was quite the roller coaster, to say the least!
Ministry Update
We wrapped up our last team of the year during the first week of October! We are so thankful for a full season of teams, but we are also very ready for a little break. It’s been a busy year, and having some time to catch our breath is much needed.
Now that teams are finished, Jay has been able to spend more time catching up on some of his other ministry responsibilities, which has been so needed. He has spent a good bit of time working on vehicle maintenance and, as always, there have been plenty of phone calls! His parents, who are the directors of Hope for Home, had a work trip and some time away this whole month, so Jay also took on extra responsibility helping oversee staff and keep things running while they were gone. That meant even more calls, sometimes even from the beach, but thankfully we were still able to enjoy some much-needed family time in the middle of it all.
Family Update
Presley was definitely our biggest focus this month, and October brought quite a few scary moments.
As many of you know, we have been trying to figure out why Presley has struggled to gain weight. At one point, our pediatrician sent us to a kidney specialist and told us that if she hadn’t gained weight within two weeks, she would likely need to be hospitalized.
A few days later, we made the trip into the city to see the kidney specialist. He quickly diagnosed her with a type of kidney disease, but initially explained it as something relatively minor. He told us her kidneys were just struggling a bit right now and that it wasn’t necessarily something serious or lifelong.
It wasn’t until we got home and started researching the diagnosis that we realized there was a lot more to it. There are different types, with Type 1 being the most serious and potentially having lifelong effects. Our doctor felt that Presley most likely had Type 1. Cue the downward spiral. All we could think about was the possibility of lifelong complications and the pain our sweet baby could have ahead of her.
We started her on medication that Saturday afternoon, and by Sunday we were already seeing weight gain! This was a little strange because the medication wasn’t supposed to work that quickly, but we kept seeing more and more progress.
The following Saturday, we found a pumpkin festival within driving distance and decided to make a little fall outing of it. We were so excited to do something that felt like home during the fall season! However, during the outing, Presley started having some really concerning symptoms, including difficulty breathing. We called the kidney specialist, and he immediately told us to stop the medication for a few days and get bloodwork done Monday morning to check her levels.
Her levels came back normal. The confusing part was that if she had the kidney condition we thought she did, her levels should have dropped after being off the medication. Our doctor wasn’t sure what to make of it and eventually instructed us to try the medication again at a lower dose. Unfortunately, the scary side effects returned almost immediately, so she was taken off it again.
By this point, we were at the beach for our family vacation. Through all of this, Jay and I, along with so many of you, had been praying for healing over Presley. We had been asking God to take away whatever was causing these problems and allow her little body to grow and thrive. As we watched what was happening, we really felt like God was doing something in her body. We still wanted to follow our doctor’s guidance, but we also had a growing sense of peace that God was taking care of her.
Now, Presley has been off the medication since then, and she is STILL gaining weight!
Praise God!
Our doctors are a little confused because the original diagnosis seemed so obvious and made complete sense based on what they were seeing. We don’t have all the answers yet, and we are continuing to follow up, but we are so thankful for the progress we are seeing. God is bigger than all of it, and we have already seen Him at work in some pretty incredible ways.
We are continuing to pray for healing, for answers, and for Presley to keep gaining weight and growing. We are just so thankful for the good signs we are seeing right now.
In the middle of all the medical appointments and uncertainty, October still had some really fun moments! We got to celebrate a friend’s wedding, attend a costume party, meet our new niece, and the girls (and Jay!) got to experience their first time trick-or-treating. There were so many sweet memories mixed in with some really scary days, and through all of it, God walked us through. Including our friends who offered to watch Logan for most of the day so that we could do whatever we wanted for a few hours!
Ways to Pray
- Presley’s continued healing and growth. Please pray that she continues to gain weight, grow, and thrive. We are so thankful for the progress we’ve seen, and we are praying for continued healing and clarity from her doctors.
- Guidance and provision for medical needs. All of the appointments, specialists, bloodwork, and testing add up quickly, and the medical expenses have really hit us this month. We are praying for wisdom as we navigate everything and provision for whatever comes next. We have seen God do some pretty incredible things already, and we trust He will continue to provide.
- Rest during this off-season. We are so thankful to have a break from teams, but there are still plenty of things that need to get done. We have teams to plan for the beginning of the year and lots of ministry responsibilities to catch up on. Please pray that we are intentional about making room for actual rest instead of filling every available moment with more work.
- Finances. This has been a bit of a tough month financially, especially with the unexpected medical expenses. It is something that has been weighing on our minds, and we would appreciate prayer for God’s provision and wisdom as we navigate this season.
- Night to Shine. We are already beginning to plan for Night to Shine coming up in February! Please pray for all the details that go into making this night special, for the volunteers and planning team, and most importantly, for the guests who will attend. We want every person who walks through the doors to feel loved, celebrated, and reminded of how special they are to God. Pray for wisdom, provision, and that everything comes together just as it should!
- My dad. He is still going through cancer treatments.
Thank you, as always, for praying for our family and for the ministry. We never take it for granted that we have so many people walking alongside us, especially through the harder seasons. We are continually reminded that God is faithful, even when we don’t have all the answers.
Thank you, as always, for praying for our family and for the ministry. We never take it for granted that we have so many people walking alongside us, especially through the harder seasons.
If you feel led to support our family and ministry financially, you can do so through PayPal (kgwester@gmail.com) or the donate link on our website, jaykelsie.com. You can also always reach out to us directly if you have questions or would like to hear about ways to give. We are so grateful for every person who partners with us, whether through prayer, encouragement, or financial support. We never take your generosity for granted!
Thank you, truly, for being part of our lives and ministry. We are so grateful for every single person who prays for us, encourages us, checks in on us, and supports us financially. There are so many moments when we are reminded that we aren’t doing this alone, and that means more to our family than we could ever put into words. Whether you have been walking alongside us for years or have just recently joined in, please know how much we appreciate you. Your prayers and generosity make it possible for us to keep serving here in Guatemala, and we don’t take any of it for granted. We love getting to share this life and ministry with you!
Love, the Fulps.