Watching God Work

This weekend we had front-row seats to see God working miracles, but a miracle is always preceded by a need.  The short story is that our son Paul suffered a stroke on Friday, but God is quickly and in amazing ways healing him.  Here is the long story:
Last Friday we received a call from our daughter-in-law Kate.  Her voice was obviously upset when she said hello.  We learned that our son Paul was in the emergency room in Austin, Minnesota. That morning, he had been working alone in the Living Bible Church where he is the pastor, and got up to go to the bathroom.  As he was washing his hands, he felt strange and went to the next room to sit down. He reached for his phone and realized his right hand was numb.  He could see only half of his phone screen but with great difficulty was able to call Kate for help.  By the time she got there, he was lying on the floor so she called the paramedics who rushed him to the hospital.  There they told him he was experiencing a stroke.
Paul is only 39 years old, very young for a stroke victim.  His entire right side felt numb and tingly, he said, as if it had fallen asleep, much as a person's foot falls asleep. He could not see well out of either eye. The emergency staff was quick to assess him and since he had arrived within a short time after his symptoms began, they were able to give him the special blood-clot busting drugs for stroke.  They did advise him and Kate that there was only about a 30 percent chance it would help him.  Then they sent him by ambulance to St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota, just 45 miles away where Paul was admitted to intensive care. This is the main hospital of the Mayo Clinic, the number one rated hospital in the US. 
The time in intensive care was difficult for Paul.  They did tests and hourly checks on his vital signs so he got little to no sleep.  One of the tests required he neither eat nor drink for more than twelve hours.  The tests results were all good, so Saturday afternoon he was transferred to a regular room in the stroke care department.
We arrived at the hospital as Paul was being transferred to his new room.  It was comforting to see our son and give him a hug.  Mike had to leave a few minutes after we saw Paul.  We were scheduled to speak at First Church of the Open Bible in Cedar Rapids the next day, but Mike went on without me (Nancy) to handle the assignment alone.  I stayed to be with Paul and to help any way I could.  Kate had stayed with Paul in the hospital Friday night and was very tired, having had no sleep.  She asked if I would stay overnight with Paul while she went home to sleep and to go to church Sunday morning.  I was very happy to be able to help. 
Many others were of great help also. Countless individuals, prayer groups and churches prayed for Paul including our church friends in Hungary and Romania.  Bruce Pfaudenauer, Open Bible Churches Central Region Director, arranged for Herb Kenyon, a retired pastor friend of ours from Iowa City, to preach on Sunday morning. He gladly came and ministered in a powerful service to the congregation who were not only saddened at the sudden sickness of their pastor, but also had suffered the loss of a beloved board member just two weeks before.  Everyone in the church stepped up to help, doing tasks from visiting the sick to opening and closing the church doors.
Saturday night was a bit better than Friday night for Paul.  He was awakened only every two to four hours for checks and medications.  After a better night's sleep, a cup of coffee and a shower, he felt a little more like himself. Later Sunday morning, the specialist came to speak to Paul, accompanied by his assistants and interns.  He told Paul they wanted to do more tests since they had found no clear reason such a young man had a stroke.  The doctor told him that the numbness and tingling on his right side would probably subside with time and recommended two weeks of intensive in-hospital therapy, but that his vision was less likely to return to normal.  This was bad news for a man whose work involves much reading and driving.  Before they left, I was able to pray a short prayer with the cohort of doctors, asking God to help them and to heal Paul.
Sunday afternoon, after some visitors came to talk and pray with Paul, he said he could see a little bit of movement on his right side where before he could see nothing!

Paul was well enough by Sunday afternoon to get permission to walk around the hospital courtyard if he held on to a wheelchair.

On Monday there was more evaluation and testing.  Paul had improved so much that the therapists said he did not need in-hospital therapy.  The doctors agreed that he was well enough for out-patient therapy and follow-up, so they released him to leave the hospital. 
Today, Tuesday, Paul is enjoying being at home.  He is doing the exercises given him by the hospital and getting the rest required for his complete healing.  His vision is improving very slowly and the numbness and tingling on his right side is almost gone. We praise God for the surprisingly rapid recovery.
His recovery has involved many small miracles that will soon add up to the miracle of his complete healing. First was the miracle that Paul was able to dial his wife and ask for help even though he could barely see. Second, he was at the hospital in plenty of time to receive the clot-busting drugs.  Third, the drugs did him good and not harm.  Fourth, the stroke specialist was available by video right after Paul arrived at the hospital in Austin and also met him when he arrived in Rochester.  Fifth, he was taken to the best hospital in America to receive his care.  Sixth, people around the world heard of his illness, prayed for him and God heard their prayers.
Please continue to pray for Paul's complete recovery.  We thank God for what he has already done and look forward to reporting his total healing.

A Life Well Lived

This past week has given me a lot to think about, but first a little bit about what we have been doing.
Last Wednesday, we were invited to speak at the House of Faith Open Bible Church in Des Moines.  Pastor Sheila Boesen and the kind folks there listened carefully to what we had to say about our work in Hungary and our plans for Romania.  We love visiting smaller churches and talking with small groups.  It gives us more opportunity for personal contact with people, not only talking about our work, but getting to know others better.  Thank you, House of Faith for your invitation, hospitality and generosity.

Mike speaking at House of Faith

 Sunday we visited the Church of the Open Bible in Iowa Falls, Iowa.  Pastor Jaccie Kenyon and her husband Herb are long-time friends of ours, so it was good to see them and the church again.  It was encouraging to note the growth in the church, especially the many young families with children.  This church loves and cares for missionaries and we benefited from their generosity on Sunday. Thank you, Iowa Falls!

Watching the children in the back of the sanctuary and listening to the service. (Photo by Jean Lindsay)

 The most touching event of last week was the funeral of our friend Joel Ide.  It is not often we are close enough to take part in such an occasion, but we took advantage of being in Des Moines and drove to Austin, Minnesota on Thursday to honor the memory of Joel and to support his family and the church.

Joel Ide

Joel passed away unexpectedly the week before, leaving behind his wife Brenda, a 25-year-old daughter and a 15 year-old-son.  Despite the sorrow of the sudden loss, there was celebration of his life.  Joel was a vital part of the Living Bible Church in Austin and we got to know him well during the ten years we pastored there.  Our son Paul is now the pastor of that church and was also a close friend of Joel's.

Joel was a man who lived his faith out loud.  He worked hard at everything he did on his job, at the church, with his family and for his neighbors.  He was always talking with people, putting them at ease and was not afraid to talk about Jesus.  He was everyone's friend and was constantly and joyfully helping someone in one way or another.  Joel left a powerful testimony of what it means to follow Jesus in everything you do. The over 300 people who came to his funeral are evidence of this.

We continue to pray for those who will miss Joel the most--his family and his church family, but we are thrilled to know that he is with Jesus and that we will see him soon.  The question I ask myself is, what sort of testimony for Christ am I living right now?  Can people see Jesus in me, in all I do and all I say?  Am I unashamedly telling others why I live the way I do?  How will you be remembered?

More Family Visits

Sunday was a great day at Fort Des Moines Open Bible Church.  We saw some long-time friends and shared with the congregation what God is doing in Hungary and talked about our new assignment in Romania.  We consider Fort one of our home churches since we attended there eleven years ago as we prepared to go to the mission field. Even though we have visited a few times since we left for Hungary, we wondered at how grown up the children are we knew when we attended there. What a loving, supportive congregation!

Last Friday, we drove to Mount Pleasant, Iowa, to visit Mike's brother Dale and his family for the evening.  Dale's two daughters, their husbands and Dale and Diana's four grandchildren were also there for supper.  We met the two youngest boys for the first time.  It happened that little Andrew's birthday was coming up and so the delicious dinner was topped by birthday cake for the 2-year-old.  We are taking in all the events we can while we are still in the US.  God is good to us.

Grandma Diana shows Andrew his birthday cake while Dad and Grandpa Dale look on.  Mom and Aunt Nancy capture the moment with their phones, of course.

Experience Church

We experienced church at Experience Church in Des Moines, Iowa.  We received a warm welcome from the entire congregation when we spoke there Sunday.  The people were kind and generous and we experienced the presence of God during the worship service.

Experience Church prayer team members praying with someone in need.

We experience the same thing in every church we attend whether in the US or in other places in the world--believers praying for one another.  This is the Body of Christ in action.  Followers of Jesus believe that He hears and answers their prayers and they care enough to pray not only for themselves but for others also.
People pray for us, too, and we are thankful they do because we know God hears and answers their prayers for us, working through us to accomplish His plans wherever we are.  Even one of the first missionaries, the Apostle Paul, asked others to pray for him.  He knew that it was only God, urged on by the prayers of others, that made the eternal difference in the lives of others.
Thank you, Experience Church, for praying for us.  And thank you to all of you who pray for us.  God works when we pray.