Time for an update I suppose. I’ve been so tired. Working a lot, it’s been good. Kopo is now working as well and we’re homeschooling the girls. It’s been quite the journey. We’re so grateful to my mum and her husband Keith who have been the best hosts for us as we all are cozy in their house while waiting for a place of our own.   Let’s see, what has happened since i last updated? it’s a bit of a blur.. Ah yes Kopo and AJ had just arrived, miraculously, since her paperwork was rejected by USCIS! I’ve since re-applied but have yet to hear back, that’s on the prayer request list ☺️

AJ celebrated her 5th birthday her first weekend here. We started her day with balloons and unicorns and donuts. Also with a fun carpentry class offered by Kids’ Carpentry in Redwood City. I’ll add photos, it was a blast. Later our brother came over with our nephews and niece and we enjoyed watching the kids play in the street and ended the day with yummy cupcakes and a treat from the ice cream man. A simple day yet filled with so much fun!

As I mentioned earlier, I have been working a lot. I still work for Generations United, a non-profit organization in Redwood City,CA. It’s been so good to be back in person, and seeing all we do up close. It was nice to stay involved while working remotely, but now it is even better to be here, especially with how things have affected the immigrant community. We are here to love and serve 🙏🏽 I am grateful to know this community and hold their stories close 🤎 *shameless plug*, watch this short video to learn more about Generations United. Kopo started working at the same organization soon after my last post, he is loving it. He is so good with kids and I love seeing him in his element, He really is such an incredible man, I am beyond blessed to call him mine forever – Thank you God 😭🙌🏾

Thank you all for your prayers and kind words, i appreciate everyone who reached out to me 💝 Here’s the latest with my leg. After sorting through insurance and a connection with a Doctor to get me seen sooner than the waitlist allowed, I was able to get into Stanford Orthopedics to see what was going on with my leg. It seems the hardware inside is what’s causing my pain. Basically where the metal starts at the top is pushing into my bone and not letting my leg move as it should so it’s causing friction and pain. The bump I feel underneath is the screw and when it’s inflamed it’s the tissue around it. The screws in my ankle are going into another bone which messes up the movement of my ankle and now some of the cartilage is damaged as well as the top of the ankle bone. There is also another screw in my ankle that is sooo close to another bone that the doctor described it as “tickling my bone every time i move it” and let me tell you tickling isn’t a fun feeling but it sounds funny 😂😭🫣  Originally they told me that unfortunately, they could not take the metal and screws out for another 3 months 😭 They wanted to be sure the bone is completely healed before taking it out. I went for a CT a few days after my appointment to see how it’s healing. And just last week they called me to schedule my new surgery for later this month. An absolute miracle, the doctor wasn’t even going to do the CT because it has only been 6mo since my last surgery, but his resident suggested it so he offered it as an option for me to think about and i decided to do it just in case – Praise God!!! And just 2 days ago Stanford called again to let me know a spot opened a week earlier than my surgery was scheduled for, so next Friday is my surgery!!! I am so excited. Who knew i could be so excited for surgery 🤣 As far as the pain goes, they can’t really do anything about the pain bc it’s the metal against my bone & I didn’t want to be on narcotics for months (when it was believed it would be months) I was considering some natural options but at this point it’s just some ibuprofen and acetaminophen until next Friday. It will be a relatively easy surgery, they will use the same incision as before and I’ll just need to take care of the incision afterwards. I have a follow up scheduled for May 5th. I’m so grateful God made a way for me to be seen so quickly and for the amazing care I’ve received at Stanford. The staff have been so kind and supportive, it has been amazing 😭 It’s so reassuring and healing for the medical trauma I sustained in Samoa. Kopo and I are both still healing from that emotionally, it was something that we didn’t fully acknowledge or talk about until we arrived here in the USA. There is much I did not share and am still processing through; The Lord knows and continues to heal me in ways I didn’t realize I needed. He is so good and faithful in every situation and season.

I have not seen many people since I have been back but I’ve had a few visitors and I am grateful for those who have stopped by and cared for me and my family while I’m not out and about much. Thank you all. Once I am healed from surgery, I will be taking it easy as I learn how to walk properly without any aids, slowly start to workout again and just build up stamina to be out for longer than I have been the last 7+ months. I am SOOOO excited for the time i can go for walks again 🙏🏽

Prayer Requests

• For my pain and for God to continue to see me through until all the hardware gets taken out
• A smooth and complication-free surgery on Friday, April 18
• A speedy recovery after surgery with no lingering pain or infections
• A home for our family, we have applied to many and are trusting that God will lead us to the home He has for us, in His perfect timing
• Grace for us as we continue to live in close quarters and continue transitioning to life in the USA 
• Continued trust in God and deepening of our faith as we allow Him to guide us into all He has for us
• AJ immigration case. We are awaiting a decision on her latest application.
• For us to find a home church we can get involved in
• Comfort for Keith and his family as his mom died 2 days ago and her services are this weekend.
• Comfort for many other friends who have lost loved ones in the last few weeks

Thank you all for your love and support, for your prayers and words of kindness and encouragement. If anyone has a prayer request that you would like us to pray for as a family, please email me: crystaltapelu@icloud.com or anything else, email me. I love hearing from you! God is so faithful and good, we are grateful for all he has done and continues to do. He has made Himself known to us and has shown us that we are here in His perfect timing. I look forward to what He continues to do in and through us. His story is never about us, about our family or whatnot, but what He is doing and we are down for whatever He has for us 🤎

I’ve been too exhausted & sick for weeks on end, but finally finished the next update. The one after this will catch up to real time and won’t be as long. This update is suuuper long, i’m trying here. I’m already forgetting a lot and Kopo had to correct some things and timeline of events 🫠 Ok, back to the update. On Wednesday, September 11, the day after I was discharged from the hospital, my mum flew into Samoa. We decided to keep it a secret from our girls. Our friend picked her up and also picked up dinner from our favorite spot, Giordano’s (If you’re ever in Samoa, check it out. So yummy!) 

What a blessing it was to have her here for a week and 3 days! It’s a bit of a blur for me because I was in so much pain and so out of it that I can barely remember her time here. It was short but my goodness we would not have made it had she not shown up. She stayed with the girls so Kopo could be at the hospital with me. Friday we went to the hospital, I was hopeful for surgery but had a gut feeling I’d have to wait. I was right, my leg was still too swollen for surgery. They scheduled me for Tuesday, September 17, yes one week and 3 days after my break. I cannot even begin to describe the pain I was in before surgery, it was constant, with no relief, it was unbearable and I thank God that He carried me through because my goodness I would not wish it on anyone! Anyway, I checked into the hospital on Monday morning, just getting from my bedroom to the car was torture. It was so excruciating, I screamed and cried as I did my best to make it to the car in the wheelchair. We had planned on calling the ambulance and paying to take me from my house to the hospital, but there was only one available and it was out. I could make it without the ambulance and I didnt want my need for comfort & convenience to be the reason why an ambulance couldn’t pick up someone in a life-or-death situation, so at the last minute we decided to just tough it out – it wasn’t impossible, we made it through 🙏🏽

Saturday September 14 – Kopo’s 40th Birthday!! My mum bought a cake for him and also bought lamb for him to cook – it’s his favorite. I wish we could do more. We will celebrate when i can be out and about. He’s the best and deserves a bigger celebration. I love you baby!

Surgery Day: The morning of surgery the doctors came in to let me know I was second in line for surgery, surgery would begin at 9am and I would be up at around 11am. Around 1pm someone came in to let me know that there was a shortage of general surgeons so my surgeon was helping out with other surgeries and I would be up sometime in the next few hours. I ended up being rolled into the surgery waiting area around 4 and waited for about an hour or so to be taken into the surgery room. It was FREEZING, that’s pretty much all I remember. They put me out and next thing I know, before I can even open my eyes I feel excruciating pain in my ankle and I start screaming. I opened my eyes and I couldn’t really see because I had no contacts or glasses, but I continued screaming and crying because I was in so much pain. I saw the nurses hurry about to try and get me some sort of relief. They gave me something but it didn’t help. They brought me out to where Kopo had been waiting in the surgery waiting area, he had my glasses – Praise God! I could at least see while being in pain and try to get a sense of what was happening. Even with heavy doses of morphine I was in such excruciating pain I could barely breathe. I knew that I would still be in pain after surgery but I didn’t anticipate this level of pain, which was worse than when I awaited surgery. That night I did not sleep, I was still in a lot of pain. I was given pain relief every 2 hours and by the time the morning came i felt some relief and like it was under control and i could breathe again and endure recovery. However, the hospital staff was concerned that I had been given too much & did not want to continue giving me pain meds. I went back to unbearable pain and never got the relief I needed, ever 😩Unfortunately they were unable to get my pain under control and it made my recovery unbearable.They spaced out my pain meds too far and I felt helpless and just worn down by the pain. I cried a lot and prayed that God would comfort me because I could not imagine continuing in this type of pain. My surgeon came by in the morning, he said I would be in pain but that i should be getting pain meds. He also introduced another surgeon, who was visiting from New Zealand, turns out he was assisting in the surgery! The rest of the day was a blur, but later that evening I asked Kopo to call for a doctor, because this pain was unreal and I knew something was wrong, I needed help! I could not continue in this pain for another minute. No doctors were available but the head nurse came in to see what was going on. I told him it looked like my cast was crooked; it was like déjà vu from when they cast it wrong in the ER 🫣He agreed it was crooked and told me to wait while he checked the x-rays to be sure it wasn’t some sort of special circumstance why they would put it on improperly. He came back and said they’d have to recast it. Since they were not setting any bones, he said no pain medicine was necessary, that they would give me something afterward. They re-cast it, and while it wasnt painless, it wasn’t nearly as bad as before, painful but somewhat bearable. I was able to have some relief but still in plenty of pain. In the morning when I asked for more pain meds they refused and gave me an aspirin. Then, to my surprise a cohort of 5-6 doctors came in who were visiting from various countries, They were doing rounds and apparently i was their patient case study, lucky me 🤣😭 They basically did a checkup on me,asking me to move my toes, asking what i could and could not feel, asking about how i felt and all that jazz, i felt like i had to just slap a smile on and get through this as painlessly as possible. When I tried to be real, one of the doctors nearly reprimanded me and it just felt awful. I was angry and in pain and then they wanted me to be poked and prodded and some sort of test subject all while only giving me an aspirin. Sheesh the Holy Spirit certainly had me hold my tongue because I was LIVID. My surgeon came in with another doctor and I was able to talk to them straight. I was able to express myself without yelling but I was firm and cried throughout my discussion with them. I let them know how I felt, how frustrating it was to not be heard and then to expect to perform for a visiting group of doctors with no pain relief or even a heads up. I let them know that I was aware that most of the other patients in the hospital would not likely say anything about their care or pain due to cultural expectations. I have no qualms about being non-Samoan and voicing my frustrations. I told them people should be able to be upfront and real about their pain and care, without it being perceived as a threat, and that they needed to hear from patients, the reality of situations, not just what the patients thought the doctors wanted to hear. THey were very apologetic & appreciated me speaking up and letting them know. They also advised that I had been given a strict pain medication schedule and they were frustrated that that wasn’t being followed. Sheesh it was like being stuck in the middle of arguing medical staff, something I did not have the energy for. However, it did empower me to advocate more for myself, which I did. The next time I asked for pain meds and the nurse tried to refuse me, I let them know that I was not going to mediate their disagreements. If they had concerns about the doctor’s orders, they would have to speak to the doctor directly to work it out and not expect me, a patient, to bear the brunt of their issues. It was not fair that because they could not agree, I was left in pain and to be some sort of referee between medical staff, it’s crazy!. He was surprised at my response but we managed to get a pain med schedule we could somewhat agree on. It wasn’t enough to give me the pain relief needed to recover well, but it was better than before.

My dr came by to visit me the following day (Friday Sept 20) and could see how exhausted I was and he said I should go home and recover. I wasn’t sleeping in the hospital, I was in constant pain so I needed a change of scenery. Later that evening I was able to go home and it was the best thing that could have happened. I got to see my mum again and hang out for a bit before she left the following day, which was Saturday.

Saturday, September 21: Goodbye Lita 😭 We had to say bye to my mum. Was a blessing having her here, we could not have made it without her ❤️🙏🏽

I was going to include the following weeks in this same post but it’s already getting so long I will put that in the next update, which will be shorter because these last weeks have been a BLUR. I don’t remember much 🤣🤣 If you made it to the end, you a real one! Thank you!!! Oh wait, let’s end on a good note – a MIRACULOUS one at that. Before being discharged from the hospital, we had to settle the bill. I had been a bit uneasy about this. I knew that God would figure it out, He would either sort it out with the hospital so it wouldbt be too much, or he would provide a way for us to pay the bill, regardless of how high it was. Well, when Kopo went to pay the bill, the total was $140 tālā (about $54 USD) . We were in shock, I was floored. I knew God would come through but my goodness. That was less than what we were charged for my first x-ray! This was for 9 days at the hospital & surgery!! I kept thinking they could call me back to say there was a mistake. Praise God for His faithfulness and goodness. He truly is our provider. He makes a way when there seems to be none and He does the IMPOSSIBLE. Still amazed by this – I still can’t wrap my mind around it. HALLELUJAH 🙌🏾

I have not updated the blog at all – I do plan on it. I did want to share some news that I won’t post elsewhere for now, but wanted to share with the friends and family that are subscribed and have been following our journey.

We recently picked up the final adoption papers for AJ & she is now legally our daughter 🙌🏽😭 This has been a long season, filled with various challenges and I’ve learned over the years as an adoptive parent that my girls’ story is theirs and theirs alone to tell 🙏🏽 We are grateful for all the love and support we have received over the last 4.5yrs.

Now that everything is final, there’s still steps on the USA side of things, we trust that all will be accomplished in God’s timing and we continue to follow Him & rest in His plan.

Today we celebrate our 12yr wedding anniversary! I feel like we’ve lived a few lifetimes since we got married 🤣 With so many moves, states, countries, jobs, kids, death, churches, ministry positions, healing, therapy, dark dark times, the highest of high mountain tops – we really have been through a lot in the last 12 years married, 15 years together 💖 God is faithful and He remains the center of our lives, our relationship & family. Grateful for His grace that continues to keep us daily. 12 years down and a lifetime to go ♾️