June 2017
Dearest Friends and family
Well, things are certainly different now days. I feel I am missing something not going out and starting generators, feeding chickens, etc. (I do have tomatoes, carrots and beans growing in planter boxes outside on the porch.)
However things move on and we are now in our own rent house in Joplin. It is bigger than what we had in Vanuatu (we can swing a possum around in here). It is a one bedroom, one bath apartment over the garage close to where Kathy's mother lives. This allows her (and me) to go over most days to make sure she is taking her meds and other things she is forgetting to do.
We were able to get transport at a local used car dealer: A 2007 Dodge 1500 for me and a 2012 Mazda 3 for Kathy.
Many of you will understand that this move was as result of my son and his family moving domicile down to Searcy Ark after hearing we would not be going back to Vanuatu to live. Something about "not enough room in Joplin for the both of us". Not really, they were our spare bedroom when we were back on leave but they had made the decision to move because Mel was offered a job on staff with Harding University.
So we found this apartment and a storage unit and set up home. Jason and Mel had been using some of our stuff from before and they let us have it back and they had been storing a bunch of our stuff so we moved that to storage and then moved stuff they did not want to storage.
Just love getting everything (electric, water, internet) turned on. Such fun trying to get a good internet connection. Everyone wants to sell you the moon and all I want is something that will work and doesn't break the bank. Oh, right after we moved in we had a transformer blow up down the road and we did not have power for awhile. It was Sunday morning and Kathy was in the shower. We had to take her wet hair and hair dryer (on her clothed and dry body thank you) to her mother' house before services. That was fun! Welcome back!
I went to my initial VA appointment and got more to go to. (more about that after we get Jason moved.)
My brother Greg is building a house and asked if I knew how to put on rock and I said no but said I could give him 4 days of my labor before I had to help Jason move (I was getting a bit stir crazy not being busy. How much time does it take to move into a one bedroom apartment?). So for four days I was a rock mason. The first day he helped but the rest I was pretty much on my own. To be fair he was trying to get the inside finished. The last day was pretty much owwwwwwwwww. I had gloves on but I was in and out of the cement and water and etc so I had sores on sores with band-aids on the sores.
The house owner asked me if I would stay and finish but I told her I thought
cataract surgery was more important at this time, so the stone facade is still
waiting to be finished and I just hope it gets done soon so I don't have to
finish it.
THE MOVE
Then we helped the other Huffs (Jason and Mel) move. It took us two full days
to load everything and as some would know, from experience, we were still throwing
things in the open trailer as we were pulling out. Jason drove the FULL 26 foot
moving truck with Morgen as his helper, towing his car on a trailer, followed
by us in the Dodge towing a FULL 12 foot OVERFLOWINGl open utility trailer and
Mel driving her FULL car with Jonah as her helper and the two dogs. That was
a fun 7 hour drive, with only two stops. Once there Jason and Mel had to close
on the house and then we went to the house and unloaded the essentials, set
them up and unloaded the rest the next day. After going to early services on
Sunday and lunch Kathy and I drove back to Joplin (had a pre operation cataract
appointment on Monday).
Then the VA follow-ups: I had to go to Fayetteville to a specialist for my kidneys. They are in 3+ renal failure (4 one has to have dialysis). We were told that somewhere in my past the kidneys had been subjected to a hard hit from some disease or something but have been stable since I came under the VA care. He finally said it was probably the agent orange which had tilted everything else wanky in my body. He said the malaria and other things I have had since my military service would not do such damage to the kidneys but didn't help in the long run. I told him to please state that in records as they were always saying, "the kidney problem can not be from agent orange". Of course "they" are beans counters with the VA, not doctors, and I would venture to say were never exposed to agent orange nor served in combat if even in the service.
When I had my VA eye appointment they sent me immediately (as soon as I could get an appointment) to the cataract surgeon. I was evaluated, measured and given an appointment for surgery. However before the eye surgery I had an appointment for the cyst behind my left ear, which I FEEL has grown to the size of a watermelon and very painful. Well, I was told they would not remove the cyst, which definitely needs extracting, in fear of infection with my cataract surgery scheduled the next Monday (did not want cross infection). They did however burn (liquid nitrogen) off several places on my head and arm and send me home.
On June 26th they (not the VA but a local doctor being paid by the VA) took the lens out of my right eye and replaced it with a prescription lens. I went home with a patch looking like a "ye old pirate" (or as someone else said Moses, or a minor prophet with an eye patch on).
When the patch was removed the next day it was a miracle. Everything was so
bright. This is the first time I have been able to see clearly without aids
since I was born. I had bifocals in the second grade. In the following days
the sight has improved more and I am more blessed. The two weeks between surgeries
I am on three drops four times a day. plus ointment at night, no lifting, no
bending, no going outside when the wind is blowing, no outside when there is
grass cutting ---- so pretty much house bound (unless I have an appointment
or sneak out). I could not wear my contact lens a week before the surgery so
I that was fun. I have been able to wear my left contact this week but next
week will not (to allow the eye to be ready) but now I can see very well with
the right eye and the left eye will be the bad eye until it gets changed out
on July 10th. The doctor did say I might not have as good a recovery in my left
eye because it has a ripple in the retina.
I will have to wear reading glasses after all is said and done but I have had to for a long time because both of my contacts were distance.
I had an ear evaluation for the VA (local doctor in Joplin) for my hearing loss. In recent years we have applied for compensation for hearing loss (because someone in St Louis said my record showed I should be getting compensation for hearing loss) but it was turned down with, "we cannot find that your records show you have hearing loss". But then again they have never been able to find my medical records. Right after I got back this time I received an envelope from the VA and a CD in response to a request for my records in May 2016. The CD had 31 pages of records none of which were medical records other that multiple copies of my intake and separation physicals which state I have "sufficient high frequent hearing loss". Obviously the bean counters did not read my medical files and thus the test was requested. (It only took the VA a year to compile a CD with NONE of my medical records from 1966-1971.)
The separation pysical did show high frequency hearing loss (huh?) and if (accepted) substantiated will require back dating compensation to July 1971. The results have been sent to the VA, we will see. This doctor was the first to ask where I served (flight line and generator rooms) but was not surprised the VA had not acknowledged the hearing loss without her testing.
THE FUTURE
So knowing I have to be quiet for a couple a weeks after the next eye surgery
(July 10th) and that the VA could not schedule the cyst surgery until after
mid August I am booked to go back to Vanuatu July 31st (landing in Port Vila
Aug 2nd) and returning to Joplin August 17th. I plan to finish packing the container
(tools go in last), things sold and the Bislama song book reprinted.
Upon my return I am to have surgery on August 21st for the cyst (unless I cut it out myself before then with the use of mirrors and a sharp knife). After that my calender does not show any more trips to the VA until September for follow-up to my primary care team.
Our sponsor here in Joplin has been very supportive in our return and most all our supporters have expressed favorably on our request for continued support until the end of the year. Even though we do not plan to live in Vanuatu we do plan to try and visit twice a year for teaching and grounding. If we can include Fiji, Australia, New Zealand or other countries in those teaching trips that will depend on being asked. The running of the Christian Institute of Biblical Studies will still require monthly support which I pray we will be able to continue as well.
After I get back in August I will be in a better position to figure out what I will be doing with myself. I have already been contacted by several people to do maintenance and remodeling on personal housing and rental houses. I will be looking around for employment which could be a variety of skills. I would love to teach Bible at Ozark Bible College here in Joplin, Harding or another school but will have to see if anyone wants me.
We will plan to travel around and visit with our supporters as well after I get back, sincewe should have the time.Thank you so much for your support of the work we have been involved with and we pray that you have been as blessed as we have.
If you can help financially in our move and transition back to the USA we thank you so much in advance. If you know someone who would like to donate or sell cheaply a camper, either tow or drive I am in the market for such as it would give us something to live in on the road if situations change here with her mother.
God is good!!!!!!!!!
Onward and upward!
Thank you so much for all of you who are praying for us, supporting us and have
contributed to our needs. God bless you! Thank you for your prayers and fellowship!
Thank you Lord for healing and providing what we need! Continued prayers for Kathy, especially, as she helps with her mother and her worsening dementia.
Grace & Peace
Tobey & Kathy Huff
Ph: (417) 396-6443 (NEW JOPLIN NUMBER)
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Contributions for the Huffs and the Bible school can still be sent to:
Huffs/Bible School
c/ Mt Hope church of Christ
2830 Mt Hope Rd
Webb City MO 64870
or
Tobey & Kathy Huff
1501 Euclid Ave
Joplin MO 64801
PH (417) 396-6443