A Message from Harmony - January 23, 2023

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND SUPPORT!

Recently my Dad and I went to the U.S.A. so that I could get an insulin pump. We stayed with my grandparents in Britt, Iowa, which is four hours away from Iowa City, where the children’s hospital is. I read aloud (in a British accent) to my dad along the way, but we never finished the book, so we continued it in Morelia. (We just finished it J) When we got there, we signed in, and waited for about 15 minutes. Then, we met with the doctor.

First, they asked me questions about how much I know my diabetes. Then I took a quick test (I passed J) and we both answered more questions. After all of the talking, I went with another doctor who took my A1C; it was 6.8. Normal humans with a working pancreas, always have theirs at 7 and under. When I first found out I had diabetes I was 14.5, which is off the chart dangerous and can lead to a diabetic coma, so I am doing great!

After our meeting at the hospital, we had a two hour-LONG conversation about how pumps work, what type of pumps there are, and all about CGMs (continuous glucose monitor). We found out there are three types of pump: 1) the MiniMed, 2) the Omnipod, and 3) The T:Slim: it has a tube, it is removable, and is very small. It was perfect for me! We ended up ordering the T:Slim along with the Dexcom G7 for my CGM.

That afternoon, we got a private tour of the University of IOWA football stadium (which is right beside the hospital). It was so big it took us about an hour and a half to look at the whole thing (including having conversations). Then we went to a boys’ basketball game and saw Marv and Diane Johnson from our church in Britt, Iowa! Finally, we went home to our grandparents’ house.

We waited about 3 weeks to get everything arranged with the pump company, my glucose sensor company and the insurance company before I could go to pump training. We got me hooked up to the DexCom G7 and the TSlim all within a couple hours. My mom got to videocall in to both trainings all the way from Mexico!

I got to some really fun things during the trip like see my cousins and

aunts and uncles, bake cookies and decorate my grandparents’ new home for Christmas, play with a new friend, Teagan, and read a LOT of books from the Britt Public Library!

We spent one last day with my grandparents before we said our goodbyes and left early the next morning for Minneapolis (after taking a quick detour to the Mall of America!) we slept in a hotel and left for the airport the next morning.

Really late that night, (after a quick detour to the beach in Cancún for a few hours!) I got to see my family I had been missing so much. Normally, I would have to wait about a few more months or even a couple years to get a pump, but because of all your love, prayers, and support, I was able to get one in 25 days! Thank you guys so much; we could have never done all of this without you!

Harmony diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes

Karlee Nichols - October 1, 2023

About half-way through our State-side visit this summer, we started to notice some emotional changes in Harmony. She was very sad and easily frustrated. Activities she would normal be excited about, she had no interest in. She was not easily excitable and she had lost her spunky spirit we all love about her.

Toward the end of our trip, she started to mention that every so often her eyes were blurry, and she couldn’t see well. She was drinking a lot of water, but was always thirsty.

She wanted to sleep A LOT and her stomach ached. We thought she was dealing with the difficulty of having to say goodbye, once again, to her cousins and best friends that she wasn’t going to see again for a long time. We thought that with time, she would normalize after going back to school and seeing her friends again. Then her best friend in Morelia moved away. She didn’t want to go to school. She didn’t have any alarming symptoms, so we thought that it was anxiety and began counseling her. Finally, when we thought she was experiencing panic attacks, we realized she was experiencing difficulty breathing with no activity and no stress.

With diabetes running throughout the Schulz family and Reggie’s medical background and research, we then quickly put together that she may be experiencing ketoacidosis and immediately prepped to go to the ER and packed for a hospital stay. Upon arrival, her blood sugar registered at 565. We knew time was not on our side and moved quickly to get her hooked up to IVs.

We spent two nights and three days in the hospital running tests, ordering labs, and observing her blood sugar levels. By the time we left, it had been confirmed that her pancreas was officially a freeloader and she was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Personally, having been scarred by the movie Steel Magnolias, only horrible thoughts about the reality that my daughter will live with for the rest of her life began going through my head. With a team of doctors (a pediatrician, an endocrinologist, and a nutritionist) in Morelia, about 6 minutes from our house, we began processing the information necessary to give Harmony the best quality of life possible.

We are in the process of getting Harmony back to a “normal” life with T1D. We are educating her siblings, teachers, friends, and staff at NOE about how to help her. She is having to mature at a faster rate than she would prefer. She is in the coping stage of anger to a degree, although she has begun to accept it after experiencing a tougher day when her blood sugar spiked and she didn’t feel good as a result of misunderstanding how things work. She knows there is no cheating or being lazy.

Please pray for Harmony and our family. We know God has His hand in her life and this diagnosis, but we will need strength and prayers to get us through it well.

October 1, 2023

Harmony: This year Harmony is looking forward to participating in an aerial silks and gymnastics group twice a week that is located in our neighborhood (with Levi). Although her time there was cut short due to recent health issues, she quickly learned to love the large Ring. There, she will learn flexibility, balance, ring routines, strength and movement, and possibly other talents like the silks or individual trapeze. She also loves participating in the NOE art class with NOE graduate Beto as her teacher.

Basquet with the NOE Cougars by Selah and Harmony

Jumping into a new sport isn’t always easy. Jumping into a new sport in a foreign country, can be even less so. School sports do not exist in Mexico. All extracurricular activities are through private clubs or athletic organizations. We decided that if we wanted to be involved in a sport and be more active, NOE basquet (basketball) is a great first step.

Harmony began in February when sports were re-opened at NOE. Selah joined at the end of April. Harmony practices twice a week for an hour each practice and has 10-13 people on her team. Selah practices three times a week for an hour each practice and has 10-15 players. Both teams are co-ed.

Because basketball is a growing sport in Mexico and games are still restricted due to the pandemic, games this year have been very limited.

Some of the challenges we face are understanding the details of each exercise during the practice due to language barriers, limited practice time, inconsistent attendance due to family schedules and resources, limited previous knowledge of the sport beforehand, hot weather with an outdoor court, and the sun shining on half the court during practice.

Some of the benefits are improving basic basketball skills, being active, making new friends, expanding vocabulary, and getting more involved at NOE.

We’ve really enjoyed this new challenge of learning a new sport and being involved at NOE. We really like our coaches and teammates and like the opportunity to get buff.

Birthday Party Success: The most durable piñata in Mexico - December 5, 2021

There I was, turning 9 in Mexico. I didn’t really know what to expect this year. I thought it was going to be a different kind of success. I didn´t know how people do birthday parties in Mexico.

First, we got a huge piñata. They are super cheap here and can be found EVERYWHERE. We invited my friend from school, Paola, my two NOE friends, Vale and Hanna, and Cynthia, who is a bit younger than me. We played Minute-to-Win-It games (like Poop the Potato and Minute of Silence), ate American pizza and peanut butter and French Silk pies, and hit the most durable piñata in the history of Mexico. It took forever!

Finally, Vale´s dad, Juan, had to rip it open (after putting some money in it!) and dropped it out the window. I opened my presents and we played in my room while the parents talked. It was a great first birthday party!

Hanna, Renata, Paola, Harmony, Valeria, Cynthia, and Weslee

God Loves My Clumsy: The first days of school - November 7th, 2021

Hi, it’s me!! (Well, I should say Hola!)

Although we have to wear masks and only get to go to school every other week, I still LOVE school, and of course my favorite class is English!!!

The first day of school I made a complete fool of myself. That day was very clumsy. First, I started to put my stuff on my desk and my pencil sharpener rolled off my desk and it broke, so I had to ask my teacher to fix it. Then, here comes my water bottle! It fell off my desk and water was everywhere. So, we had to get the janitor, and she mopped it up with two mops because one was not enough.

Then, at lunch I spilled a little juice on the floor and all my apple slices. At the end of the school day, I got a prize because I got enough participation points. They were little round chocolates and exploded (not really - I’m just exaggerating; you have permission to laugh).

And God is showing me through Mexico that it is true nobody is perfect, and it is sometimes okay to just tell yourself that the first day of Mexican school does not matter. Even if I’m known as very clumsy, God still loves me no matter what I do, and He provides friends for me and He makes me actually want to live life.

¡Adiós!

September 12th, 2021 - Last stop before our new home

Hi it’s me again, Harmony! And I am going to tell you about my day.

It is the last day before we go to our new home. We are in the car. And we have 2 hours and 13 min until we are to our last hotel. So, a couple of minutes ago Daddy asked me, “Harmony, name one person in the bible that had a story about their last stop before home.” Now you know that is a deep question. So, it took me a while to think….(me thinking).... Then finally I said, “Jesus”.

Jesus' last stop began with the supper with the disciples. During that time, He washed the desciples feet and told them, The greatest is the one who serves", like he did. Then He said to them, "this is the end. Tomorrow it will never be the same.” And Peter did not want to hear that. Then Jesus took some bread and wine and said, “this bread is my body and this wine is my blood. And then they all ate the bread and drank the wine.

LATER ON IN THE GARDEN.

Then all of a sudden, soldiers came into the garden to take Jesus. But, Peter did not want them to. So he took a soldiers sword and cut off one of the soldier's ears. Jesus said, “Peter why did you do that?” as he put back the soldiers ear. Then He let them take Him. The next afternoon they took him to Pilate and said, “We want to put this man on a cross, what should we do?” Pilate asked Jesus some questions then sent him to Herod. Herod, after asking him some questions, sent him back to Pilate. Then Pilate said, “I am willing to let either Barrabas go or Jesus go. Who should I let go? Then all the people started shouting, “ Barrabas, Barrabas!!!!!!!” So he let Barrabas go. After that they took Jesus and threw Him on the ground. They took off most of His clothes and started whipping Him and laughing at Him and said, “ If you are the king, stand up and save yourself!” After that, they had Him carry the cross up a steep hill all by Himself. Then Jesus was too weak to carry it. A soldier said to a man, “What is your name?” The man said, “Simon.” “Carry the cross for Jesus,” said the soldier. So Jesus and Simon walked up the hill. Then the soldier took Jesus, nailed and tied Him to the cross. And with that He died. They put him in Joseph’s tomb. He was there for 3 days and on the 3rd day, Mary, Mary Magdalene and Salome went to make sure Jesus didn’t stink. And they saw that the big boulder that used to be blocking the tomb was now open with an angel on top. And he said to them, “Why are you here? You won't find Jesus here. He has risen He is alive!!” The women could not believe what they had just heard. And from that day on, Jesus was alive for 40 more days. And now we have Easter to celebrate the day Jesus arose from the dead.

That was Jesus' last stop before home. And now we are doing ours. Love you all!!! So that is all for now. BYE!!!!!

September 7th, 2021 - Our Plan

Hi, it’s me, Harmony! And I am at Papa and Missy’s house right now. But just for tonight. It is our first day and night going to Mexico. We hope to be in Mexico by Friday. Mama and Daddy desighted to bring us with them instead of flying back for us. Now we are bringing both cars instead of one. And then in Mexico we are going to sell both cars. And when we get to Mexico, we are going to first stay with our ford exchange student and her family. Then we are staying in a rental house then we will be in our own home. And we will be in school. And we will have to wear uniforms! ( I do not like uniforms! And also we might have to wear a skirt every day!!!) so that is all for today!!! BYE!!!!!

Center for Intercultural Training (CIT) Takeaway - September 2, 2021

Over the last few weeks God has taught me more about Jesus. I’ve learned how much Jesus was hurt on the cross and when he was whipped while walking up the hill to die for me. Jesus had all the power to ask an angel to pull Him off the cross, but He didn’t ask that because He loves me... I know that the hurt he received was the hurt I should have received because of my sin. I love Jesus and know He loves me.

Downtown Morelia

Mark 16:15 "He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation."

The Nichols Family-Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico