Long overdue update

We pray that this finds you doing very well and that you and your family are in good health. We would like to apologize that it has been so long since our last update. Cindy has not been feeling well since her gallbladder surgery (October 28, 2021) and kept saying that something wasn’t right. So the last months have been crazy trying to find an answer.

New Year’s Eve we spent most of the night in the emergency room because Cindy was in so much pain and had an array of other symptoms. The doctor ordered lab work, EKG and a CT of her abdomen and chest because he was thinking something might have gone wrong from her gallbladder surgery and was causing all of these problems. Good news was that all tests were normal, but bad news was they didn’t know what was causing all of her symptoms. As you can imagine we were starting to get frustrated.

Not knowing what to do anymore Cindy felt like she needed to find a foundational doctor, which is a type of doctor that looks for the root cause. Unfortunately, this type of doctor is hard to find, but thanks to the guidance of the Holy Spirit she was able to find one that was only about 45 minutes from Cindy’s mom’s house. Cindy had her first appointment on February 23 where the doctor spent over an hour with her going over her medical history and asking a lot of questions. After this the doctor ordered a bunch of lab work and Cindy had to have 13 vials of blood drawn. Now it was just time to wait for the results. On March 23 Cindy finally got an answer to what has been going on and she was diagnosed with CIRS (chronic inflammation response syndrome) which is basically mold toxicity.

We all come in contact with mold on a daily basis, but people that have CIRS can not eliminate the mold and/ or toxins from their system like other people. So without being able to get rid of these toxins it causes havoc in your body. Things like headaches, lots of stomach issues, itchy skin, rashes, brain fog, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia etc. The symptoms of CIRS overlap with so many other health issues that most main stream doctors treat those issues, but never find the root cause.

Cindy has a gene which makes her highly susceptible to mold and/ or other toxins. In fact, 25 % of Americans have this gene, but rarely do people find out they have it. This is not an allergy to mold or other toxins, but is much more severe. However, the good news is that this can be treated and prayerfully it will not take to long to reverse the affects of this mold toxicity. Really all Cindy has to do is be on a special diet for awhile. Basically she can not have any grains and she can not have any vegetables that are grown underground. The only fruit that she can not eat is bananas. Also all additional sugar has to be eliminated from her diet so that pretty much eliminates all processed foods. She is also on iron and omega 3 supplements and she temporarily has to take binders to help get the toxins out of her system.

We can not tell you all how grateful we are to God for directing us to this doctor and finally giving us an answer about what was going on with her. We are so grateful for all of the prayers and would appreciate continued prayers as she heals. We have always felt that God was going to use all Cindy was going through to help other people. We really do pray that as Cindy recovers and learns more about this she will be able to help others.

During all of this time John has continued to stay busy with his handyman ministry and he has also built a few pieces of furniture. God has truly given John a talent in this area and it has been a great way to help people out in need.

New Family Member

December 4, 2021 our son, Jeremiah, got married to his girlfriend Jennie. We are so happy to welcome her to the family. She is a wonderful lady and we are so happy to have a daughter in the family now. Of course, we are hoping that it won’t be too long before we have our first grandchild, but God is in control of that and His timing is perfect. We really just want them to enjoy this time as newlyweds.

John's mom

John’s mom had not been feeling very well and John was very concerned about her. So on March 27 we drove to North Carolina to see what was going on. Long story short, after convincing her to go to the ER, we found out what had been wrong with her. Unfortunately the doctors discovered a brain tumor and she was admitted to the hospital. March 31, she had brain surgery to remove the tumor. Thankfully the tumor was not located in an area of her brain that controls any functions, so she is now at home recovering. She will be following up with radiation and chemotherapy treatments.

God has clearly shown us that our next assignment is to stay in North Carolina helping out with John’s mom as long as needed. We would really appreciate prayers for her healing and for strength and peace as she goes through chemotherapy and radiation.

Costa Rica

We continue to keep in contact with our friends in Costa Rica. They always ask us when are we coming back. Of course, we had thought we would have returned by now for a visit, but with Cindy’s health it just wasn’t possible. Thankfully she is on the journey to recovery, but now we are needed to help John’s mom. Hopefully one day soon we will be able to return for a visit, but we are trusting God and we know that His timing is perfect. Right now we are just taking it day by day.

Psalms 118:24(NKJV) This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Matthew 19:26(AMP) With God ALL things are possible.

Jeremiah 17:7-8(NIV)But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes, its leaves are always green, it has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.

Lots of Love and Blessings,
John & Cindy Thalheimer
Missionaries to Costa Rica

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John teaching some of the kids how to make tortillas

He wanted a Batman suit for Christmas!