Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. (Psalm 91:1,2)
This is the Scripture that I’ve been holding on to in these last few weeks.
It’s well known that it’s easy to trust God when everything is “hunky-dory”, but what about when we are in excruciating pain, finances are about to get eaten up, or life is just plain hard?
This is where I was 10 weeks ago. I was getting dressed in some jogging pants and got my legs tangled up. The next thing I knew, I fell like a log onto my right side. I couldn’t put my arm out to save myself, and I dislocated my right shoulder.
I’m so sorry it’s been so long since we wrote, and so much has happened since then. We have seen the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living in all of this. He has been faithful in providing all that we need. I’m still a long way off of being where I need to be. It can take anything between six to nine months to regain full mobility.
It was 5 p.m. My arm just hung loose, I couldn’t feel it, and I wasn’t able to move it. I’ve never known such excruciating pain. I sat in the waiting room at the ER, crying out to anyone who walked by to help me. I waited four hours in agony.
The hospital staff were amazingly kind and caring, and I guess that time of the evening, they don’t have the staff they would normally have during the daytime. I cried out to Jesus and felt His hand upon me; his presence with me.
When I finally got into the treatment room, I asked the doctor to pray for me. He was a really nice guy, and I think he was freaked out at the thought of praying for me. He prayed a very simple prayer and then explained what they were going to do. I had to be anaesthetised as I couldn’t stand any more pain. Just the thought of them having to put that bone back into the socket without anaesthetic was too much for me to bear.
I told the doctor that I now needed to pray for him, and he was open to that. He told me about the scary effects of the anaesthetic, and I just said a prayer, telling Jesus if I don’t make it, I know I’ll be with him.
Chris was with me the whole time and watched them put the arm back in. It was traumatising for him to see me looking like I was dead and going through the procedure. I know we both still bear the scars of the trauma and have flashbacks. Although I’m glad to say these are getting less with each week that goes by.
We made it home by 10 pm that night. I felt no pain and didn’t need the narcotics they offered me. I awoke in the early hours of that night only to see Jesus on the cross, realising that every joint of his body had been pulled apart (Psalm 22:14)
Chris has been an amazing caregiver and has looked after me so well.
Of course, living in America without healthcare or being able to afford insurance was adding to our concerns, and the care that I was given was top notch, with so many people in that emergency room, from an anaesthetist to a respiratory expert, doctors and nurses. Whilst waiting for treatment, we were asked if we’d like to apply for financial assistance, which we did. Chris filled out the forms, and we prayed, thinking that we might have to pay some of this hefty bill. A few weeks later, we received a text to say that our balance was $0.00 to pay.
The following day, I received a phone call from the Orthopaedics department asking me to come and see the surgeon. They thought I had a torn rotator cuff, and I had fractured the humerus bone. This payment has also been miraculously covered, and I have been going to physical therapy for the past few weeks. This is covered, too, along with the MRI and X-rays.
God has faithfully looked after us for these past 29 years on the mission field, and he won’t stop now. I held on to him, believing that I wouldn’t need surgery, which would have put me right back to square one and in a sling for six weeks. I was told a couple of weeks back that the rotator cuff is not torn and there is no need for surgery. Thank You, Jesus!
Here I am today, 10 weeks later, with little to no pain, more mobility and hopeful for the future. God is my refuge and strength, in him will I trust.
Chris can leave the house for longer periods now, as I can carry out more tasks, though I’m not driving yet. He is so excited that through a contact at the physical therapy office, he’s been invited to minister at a college here and also has a great ministry meeting with young guys and discipling them. He’s glad to be back doing that, and I hope to be in the not-too-distant future.
