Rattins living Coram Deo

We are headed to Kenya at long last with our small team from our church. Everyone is very excited after 1.5 years of preparation! We are traveling with two amazing teenaged girls, my sister in law, my father in law, and the four of us! Please pray that Gracie would be seizure free and healthy. Please pray that Ana would not get sick at all (including malaria). Please pray for smooth and safe travels. Please pray for wisdom as we lead the team. Please pray for growth and maturation in our relationships with God through this experience. Please check the missions' trip blog at http://faithbaptistmissions.blogspot.com/ - we will keep updates on the trip on the blog as we are able. You can email us at jarattin@yahoo.com during the trip (more accessible there than gmail).

It was discouraging to end up admitted to the hospital again on Saturday. The day after we finished a taper off one of her seizure meds, Gracie had a seizure which was self-limited. Although concerned that it happened right after we got off Keppra, we rejoiced that she got out of it without rescue med (which has been a very rare event for her). But the next morning, she had a grand-mal seizure - like the ones she used to have on trileptal. Two doses of diazepam later, we drove her to the hospital and she require a third med in the ED. She stopped seizing but was so snowed that we snuggled in a hospital bed for the rest of the day. When she finally woke up, I convinced her to drink enough so that the nurse would believe me that I could take care of her at home and we got discharged. She did spike a nice fever, but hasn't shown us yet what is making her sick (she just got over a nasty cold). Today, she was as floppy as can be, grouchy, and tired. Very pitiful overall! She couldn'