Our Anniversary!

We're celebrating our 3 year anniversary on December 17th! We are so thankful that God put us together and has allowed us to share our lives and families with each other. We love being married, and we recommend it!!
How are we celebrating?? Well… not exactly the way we'd like to, but that's okay. We have to go to see our fertility specialist for my pre-op appointment on the 17th. My next surgery is Friday, December 19th. Please join us in prayer as we trust the Lord for a smooth and successful procedure, wisdom for the doctor, and a speedy recovery. Please pray that God will give us a baby as soon as possible!
This surgery is much like a c-section (minus the baby that usually comes with that!), and so the recovery process will take longer than the previous surgeries I've had. I will have to spend a couple days in the hospital. After that, my mom is coming to help John take care of me. I think I will be extra spoiled with two nurses! =)
Our plan is to drive home to Tulsa on Christmas Eve morning so as to miss as little of the festivities as possible. Although I know I'll be moving slow, we plan to enjoy our time in Tulsa with our families to the fullest. We'd also like to visit with as many of our friends as time and strength will allow, so we're including John's cell number below.
To everyone, we'd like to wish a very MERRY CHRISTMAS! We hope you will thoroughly enjoy the season with friends and family, remembering the great gift we have in Jesus Christ our Savior.
John's cell 918-406-6721

Surgery coming up

Thank you all for your many prayers! We have felt them all, and are so grateful to be guided by God's wisdom and peace.I have another update: I talked to my doctor last week after the tests, and she told me that getting rid of the fibroids will be a 2-3 step process.
Basically, I'm going to have to have at least 2 surgeries. One is scheduled for Nov 20th, and it is an outpatient surgery, so I'll come home that same day. With this surgery, they will have to wait until they are doing it to know if they can complete it that day or not. (That's why I might have to have it again later.)
The other surgery is called a myomectomy (spelling??). They will basically be making a c-section incision and going in that way. Of course, that will be 2 - 3 days in the hospital and several days recovery at home. We are hoping to schedule that at the end of the semester.
Will you all keep praying for us? Please pray that everything will go well with the surgeries of course. Could you also pray that I will just have to have the 2 and not 3? Please pray that I would be completely healed and be able to have a baby. Also, please lift both John and I up as we are studying. The course we are starting is very challenging and is 6 credit hours. Please pray that we can work doctors appointments around our class schedule and that it will all work out smoothly. We really want to have the surgery before the end of year.Thanks again for all your love and support!

Specialist Visit

I went to see the fertility specialist, Dr. Wilson, yesterday morning. She was great! She spent an hour with John and I, asked a lot of questions, reviewed all my medical history and records, and did a sonogram and examination. She ordered a few more basic fertility tests for me that I will be having done in the next few weeks. She does think that I'm going to have to have surgery though. These tests will allow her to have a better idea about what is going on with my body before that takes place.
The nurse also called back after my blood work and told me I'm a little anemic, so I'll be taking some over the counter stuff to try to improve that situation. They want me to come back in a few weeks for more blood work to see if it's better.
Please continue to pray for John and I as we work through this situation. We really want to have children, and we're ready to do whatever it takes- but we really want to be led by God's wisdom in all things. Keep praying that the doctor will have wisdom, that we will have wisdom, and for healing in my body.

2nd Opinion

I got my second opinion today. Dr. Casad was great- really personable and helpful. She recommended that I go see a fertility specialist before we make any more decisions. So I have an appointment with Dr. Wilson on September 24th.
I am really pleased that she recommended we do this, instead of just going ahead with the surgery. Please continue to pray for us as we see another doctor, getting another opinion. Pray that we will have good advice, wisdom, and HEALING!

Catching up on August...

SCHOOL
We've been back to school for over a month now! We've completed Session 1 where we studied Sociolinguistics. It was a great class with lots of group and team work involved. Our class for Session 2 extends through Session 3 as well. It's called Second Language and Culture Acquistion. In this class, we are learning very practical skills about how to learn a language and how to teach someone to teach you their language. We are also reading and discussing great articles on culture acquistion. We have the opportunity to practice these skills while we are studying MANDARIN! We were a little nervous at first, but it's going well. We really enjoy our language tutor. Wish us luck! And don't forget to pray for our skills in tonal languages to increase!

SURGERY

It's possible that Elizabeth (Renee) will have to have another surgery coming up soon. Please keep us in your prayers as we get a second opinion and make decisions in the upcoming weeks. If you want to know more about it, just get in touch with us.

FUN

We had a great time entertaining John's brother and his wife (Brian and Jennifer) and their daughter (Allison) for a week in August. Our friend Jake was also able to come at the same time for a few days. We all packed into the mobile home and had a blast! Laura, John's sister, and her son, Alex, came up from Houston. They stayed with John's mom, Karen. And of course Sara, John's other sister who lives near us in Dallas, was there too. We played games, cooked meals, and just enjoyed being together. Because Brian's in the Air Force, we don't always get to see those Roetteles as much as we'd like. We are so thankful God gave us all that time together!

Here's cute Allison!

The whole gang!

We also a had few days visit from our good friends the Zechiels. We are so blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives.

The Zechiels and the Roetteles

Back to School

Hi everyone! Hope you had a great summer!
Ours is ending this week as we start classes again on July 23rd. Keep us in your prayers!

Changed Plans

Hi everyone, this is the female half of the Roetteles writing to let you know that our travel plans changed. We found out that I am going to have to have surgery on June 20th. It's a common procedure, out patient surgery, but there are a few unknowns, so we would appreciate your prayers. I would really appreciate them...having never even been admitted to the hospital before. Thankfully, I have a husband who worked in outpatient surgery to keep me calm! I am so glad to know that I have all of you lifting me up.
If you want to know more, just email me or call:
er.roettele@gmail.com
elizabeth_roettele@sil.org
918-857-5202

New tentative schedule:
June 10-15 Ohio
June 16-22 Dallas
June 23-July 5 At some point in this two week block we plan to be in Tulsa, OK.
July 5--- Dallas
July 23 Classes begin!

Here's a cute picture of my niece. Isn't she a doll?

Summer Time...Almost!

We’re about to finish up our first semester at GIAL in Dallas. We’ve just got about two weeks left before our seven week summer break. Sessions 1-3 were great, and we studied Grammar, Phonetics, and Phonology. During session 4, we’ve been studying cultural anthropology. We are learning how to define culture, to be aware of cultural themes, culture shock, and many practical techniques that will be so valuable when we are living in a different culture. Our favorite hands-on assignment has been our cultural “immersion” project. We’ve been visiting a church whose members are from Kerala, India. It has been so good to worship with them in their services and enjoy food and fellowship in their homes. At the same time, we get a glimpse of their language, Malayalam, and their culture.

Our tentative summer travel schedule:
June 6-10th Oklahoma
June 10-15th Ohio
June 16-20th Illinois
June 20th-23rd Indiana
June 23-July 5th Oklahoma
July 5th—Back to Texas!

We’d love to see you while we travel! Give us a call or an email to get in touch:

John’s info: 918-406-6721
john_roettele@sil.org

Elizabeth’s info: 918-857-5202
elizabeth_roettele@sil.org

We’ve really enjoyed this semester of studying, learning, and growing. We’ve also had a lot of fun! Here are just a few photos…

Baby shower for Elizabeth’s sister, Sarah















A visit from Sarah & Lindsey Dubberly















Planting a garden















Hiking with Stefanie & Jimmy Nance















Meeting Emilie Grace Skinner



















Enjoying a visit from the Briscoe family

It’s official!

We’re on our way to Dallas! This week we’ll be organizing, packing, and moving to our new home in Dallas, Texas to begin classes at the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics.

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Here are some ways you can pray for us:

EMOTIONS: We are excited, thrilled, nervous, and sad all at the same time! Both of us have spent most of our lives in Jenks, Oklahoma. Although we’ll be joining John’s mom and sisters in the state of Texas, we’ll be moving away from his dad, as well as all of Elizabeth’s immediate family and grandparents. We are looking forward to seeing friends in the Dallas area, but as you can imagine, we will be missing our good friends in Oklahoma at the same time. Pray that we will be joyful in the Lord. Pray that we will be able to maintain good communication with everyone we will be moving away from. Please pray that we’ll make good friends among our fellow students soon.

CLASSES: We will be taking a full load of graduate level courses in the area of applied linguistics. Classes begin January 9^th. Please pray for diligence in our studies, ability to retain all that we learn, and good grades. We are eager to learn and really desire to honor the Lord by doing WELL in school.

FINANCES: We are moving out in faith, trusting the Lord’s leading that it is His time for us to begin our training. In addition to living costs, we are also responsible to pay for our tuition, books, and fees at school. We are blessed to see His hand of provision for us DAILY. The stories we could tell you… just ask! He reminds us all the time of His knowledge of our needs by providing in ways we could never think of. Please pray that our financial partnerships would continue to grow. Please pray that the Lord would guide us in making wise financial decisions. Praise Him for His faithfulness and pray for His continued blessing on our lives.

SPIRITUAL LIFE: We are facing busy, challenging months. Please pray for our continued personal times studying the Bible and in prayer. Please ask the Lord to help us grow in Him as a couple. Pray for our marriage- that it continues to grow stronger. Pray that He will teach us NOW how to be a family that worships Him together. Please pray that we will find a solid, Bible-teaching church with a heart for missions at home and around the world to be a part of and serve in while we are in Dallas. Ask for our protection on all fronts.

We are so thankful to be surrounded by your love, prayers, and encouragement. May you all have a Happy New Year!!