As we get closer to our vision trip to Japan, I wanted to write to you and share a specific way that you can be praying for our trip. Of course, our primary prayer request is for clear vision and direction from the Lord. But there are other secondary needs that we would appreciate if you would lift up as well, so I’d like to share one with you.
Alishia suffers from celiac disease. Even the smallest exposure to gluten causes her to get very sick. Her symptoms are both physical (skin rashes, headaches, pupils dilated different sizes, weaker immune system, etc.) and mental (loss of words, inability to process movement around her, something that she can only describe as ‘brain fog’, constant tiredness, etc.). So, as you can see, in order to have a successful trip we need to avoid her getting contaminated. Her sensitivity is very high if I eat gluten I can contaminate her, if we wash our dishes with a sponge that has been used on dishes that had gluten on them she will get contaminated, if the kitchen where the food is prepared is not a controlled environment, forget about it. The challenge is that gluten is often hidden in things that you wouldn’t expect, we don’t read hiragana well enough to know exactly what’s in most products, and Japan allows products that may contain some gluten to be labeled ‘gluten-free’.
Every missionary faces challenges as they work toward going to the field, and this challenge is not insurmountable. We are extremely blessed that the first missionary family we are staying with has faced this same challenge. The wife is also an American with celiac, and through some years of trial and error she has found what products she can eat and which she has to avoid. She’ll be able to take Alishia food shopping and help her get familiar with labels and products. We’ll also be taking food with us, and cooking most meals ourselves, as we can’t trust eating in restaurants. If you would like to help us with purchasing these extra items for our trip, we have created a wish list that is linked here. https://giftbuster.app/user/242958/wishlist/373328
Please ship any items from the list that you wish to purchase to this address and make sure it will arrive before January 20th, 2023.
Jeff and Alishia Root
17451 Bastanchury Rd Ste 203
Yorba Linda, CA 92886
Thank you for your prayers, and please pray for Alishia to be healed, that the Lord would protect her from accidental contamination, and that we would be able to focus on Him and what He’s saying, and not on her health.
Love You,
Jeff and Alishia Root