Southern Porch Extension

[Edy]

Here are the last two prayer updates I put through to our prayer links on the little boy my brother took care of in the ER last weekend (thanks for asking, Laurie):

Monday's Prayer Update on the 4-year-old boy in ICU:
The next 48 hours are critical for J's brain recovery. Right now he is considered to be in a vegetative state. Encouraging news is his kidney function is improving. Thank you for surrounding him and his parents in prayer, for God's wisdom for everyone involved in J's care, and for God's will to be manifest to all. We know He is able to do exceedingly above all we can ask or think, and His Spirit intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. We praise the Lord for every encouraging sign of recovery.

Today's:
Please continue surrounding "J" (age 4) in prayer for God's will to be manifest. His parents remain hopeful, but attending physicians are rather pessimistic about his prognosis. They do plan to continue supportive measures to see what happens. Pray especially for J's brain and kidney function to show definite signs of improvement soon, and praise the Lord that his heart and lungs have recovered well.

I shared some links with my brother about the power of God's Word for healing, in case he has an opportunity to pass them along to the parents. One is a true story about a little girl so brain injured in a car accident that doctors said no way could she survive. Her grandpa didn't give up on her and she recovered in spite of injuries incompatible with life, God's doing. Her grandpa read and prayed scripture over her for hours on end, looking past the physical reality to the spiritual reality of Jesus' stripes for healing.

[BeachGrandma]

Isn't it great, Edy, that God placed your dear brother into this situation so he could pray believing prayers and spread the word through the internet about this precious child. I love the way Joel demonstrates his faith and encourages others to do the same. This little boy has been on my heart and in my prayers since you first posted this. How I pray for a breakthrough, as a testimony to the healing power of God whose son is our Savior, our healer, our everything.

[ready2go]

Edy, did your brother ever reveal why little "J" was admitted in such a lifeless condition? The doctors must know by now. Physical abuse? Deadly disease? Illness such as flu not properly monitored? Food poison? Abnormal body structure or function? Other?

Continuing to pray for his return to health...

Don

[Verna]

Praying for that dear little boy, Edy

Praying for God's hand on you in every situation, Laurie

I'm proud of Tim with you, Mariane.

It's sleeting here in the sunny south and 25 degrees. Brrrrr.

[Edy]

Edy, did your brother ever reveal why little "J" was admitted in such a lifeless condition? The doctors must know by now. Physical abuse? Deadly disease? Illness such as flu not properly monitored? Food poison? Abnormal body structure or function? Other?

Continuing to pray for his return to health...

Don

My brother puts the blame on the current state of health care going down the tubes from what it once was. The little boy had the flu. Apparently he was given tamiflu but no instruction that it causes nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. A little body can dehydrate quickly given that loss of body fluid. And, with diarrhea, it's hard to monitor if the kidneys are putting out any urine (why nurses always monitor input and output in their patients. Lack of urine is a red flag). They didn't realize that he was dehydrating so drastically, or how dangerous that can be.

The boy was lethargic when the parents tucked him into bed. But, they thought he was recovering from the flu and sleep would be good. When they checked on him a little later, they couldn't rouse him. They brought him to the ER themselves, not wanting to wait for an ambulance. Apparently he had vomited and aspirated jello into his lungs. I don't recall the exact details my brother was telling me over the phone (as I took notes, I missed some of it), but a pediatric anesthesiologist just "happened" to be on site and so he had the best attention for intubating him and clearing out the aspirated jello.

Joel has been to the hospital (where the boy was transferred) and he compared the appearance of the first time he saw the boy to how he looks, now, fully hydrated, as the difference between a raisin and a fresh grape.

An example comes to mind from working with orphans in Saigon. One baby, like "J," was unable to keep anything down, no matter what we tried, and losing diarrhea as well. We were monitoring him totally. He was growing more flacid and lethargic, to the point one of our best Vietnamese "mama-sans" began rocking him and mumbling words over him (I didn't understand much of the language). I was sure Han was convinced he was dying and nothing could be done. I had taken him to the doctor earlier, without too much advice, so I decided to just restart an IV on him and keep it in until he got over whatever was making him sick.

The physical response in a relatively short period of time was dramatic. I think Han thought I must be a miracle worker.

[Verna]

Edy, I'm so thankful to our dear Lord for the little boy's improvement.

[ready2go]

I have concluded that it's almost impossible to fit any other events into my day without them conflicting with my much-needed two-hour nap times that happen frequently and have top priority.

Good naps are good things.

Don

[Verna]

Shhh Don's sleeping.

[Edy]

[ready2go]

Zzzzzzzz ... zzzz ... zzzzzz ...

**yawn**

Don

[ready2go]

I wrote this early today following two or three days that were especially difficult, and felt led to share it.

Don

There could be a time when a serious event might cause our life to fall apart with very little warning, and it would seem to be irreparable by human hands. If that should happen it would be as if a massive plate glass window had exploded in our face...effectively destroying who we are. Life as we knew it would quickly disintegrate into razor-sharp shards that relentlessly tear away at the fabric of our heart and soul with life-threatening consequences. In that situation we might often tread the delicate balance between life and death. Within our human mind, all our efforts seem fruitless and hopeless.

As believers in our Almighty God who is in control of all things, we might ask, “Why, Lord? Why has this happened to me? What have I done or not done to deserve this pain and suffering for the remainder of my life?”

We pray fervently for deliverance from our situation...and we pray often. We pray for the pain, disappointment, and heartache to be taken away. We cry out to Him for comfort...for rest...and for the touch of His healing hand to restore our life. We ask Him for assurance that our prayers of desperation are being heard. But, often times it seems as though God does not respond to our pleas for help.

“Oh Lord, where are You? I know that You care and are always near, but are You not listening? Have I been abandoned to wither and die alone? You seem so distant to me. Where are You?

When that happens I believe that the Bible teaches we must humbly fall on our knees before God in total, heart-felt submission, and give all of our problems and life’s broken pieces to Him. We must not ask Him to do that which our mind and flesh are demanding, but rather, ask that His Will be done in our life. We must trust Him fully and unconditionally, and know that whatever the outcome, it will have been done according to His perfect plan for our life. We might not always understand His answers to our prayers, but God loves us, and desires to do that which is best for us.

“Lord, I lift up to You all of the shattered portions of my life. I give them all to You for Your care. I am Yours, Lord...I love You...and I trust in You with every fiber of my being. Do as You will for Your honor and glory...for my life is in Your hands. Amen!”

When we give all to Him, He will hear our pleas...for He has promised to do so. What a great God we serve! Thank You, Lord Jesus!

[Verna]

Praying one of Don's prayers--along with a prayer for a special blessing from God for him and his wife.

“Lord, I lift up to You all of the shattered portions of my life. I give them all to You for Your care. I am Yours, Lord...I love You...and I trust in You with every fiber of my being. Do as You will for Your honor and glory...for my life is in Your hands. Amen!”

[Carole L]

Punography

I tried to catch some Fog, I mist.

When chemists die, they barium.

Jokes about German sausage are the wurst.

A soldier who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.

I know a guy who's addicted to brake fluid. He says he can stop any time.

How does Moses make his tea? Hebrews it.

I stayed up all night to see where the sun went. Then it dawned on me.

This girl said she recognized me from the vegetarian club, but I'd never met herbivore.

I'm reading a book about anti-gravity, I can't put it down.

I did a theatrical performance about puns, It was a play on words.

They told me I had type A blood, but it was a Type O.

A dyslexic man walks into a bra.

PMS jokes aren't funny, period.

Why were the Indians here first? They had reservations.

Class trip to the Coca-Cola factory, I hope there's no pop quiz.

The Energizer bunny arrested and Charged with battery.

I didn't like my beard at first. Then it grew on me.

How do you make holy water? Boil the hell out of it!

Did you hear about the cross eyed teacher who lost her job because she couldn't control her pupils?

When you get a bladder infection, urine trouble.

What does a clock do when it's hungry? It goes back four seconds.

Broken pencils are pointless.

What do you call a dinosaur with a extensive vocabulary? A thesaurus.

England has no kidney bank, but it does have a Liverpool.

I used to be a banker, but then I lost interest.

I dropped out of communism class because of lousy Marx.

All the toilets in New York's police stations have been stolen. Police have nothing to go on.

I got a job at a bakery because I kneaded dough.

Haunted French pancakes give me the crepes.

Velcro - what a rip off!

Cartoonist found dead in home. Details are sketchy.

Venison for dinner? Oh deer!

Earthquake in Washington obviously government's fault.

I used to think I was indecisive, but now I'm not so sure

[Laurie]

Those are cute, Carole.

Don, how is Carol? Any change one way or the other? I hope she isn't still having hallucinations.

Edy, any further word on the little boy?

[Edy]

Thanks for the timely question, Laurie! I just talked to my brother. He said a care conference is scheduled for tomorrow. I am praising the Lord that the little boy has maintained his oxygen levels after having his breathing tube removed over the weekend. So, "taking him off life support" is not something his parents will have to deal with. He is maintaining that on his own. He has sufficient cough and gag reflexes to indicate brain stem function. He opens his eyes periodically, but his higher brain function hasn't shown improvement, yet. But, Joel says that isn't unusual, given what he went through. In Joel's estimation, the little one is slowly getting better.

The conference will be for deciding where to go from here. Perhaps his parents can take him home from the Children's Hospital, where he was transferred. Perhaps their home town hospital can take him for therapy to aid in his recovery. So, we can pray for God's open and closed doors to provide direction for the next step, while continuing to pray for his complete recovery. Thanks, everyone, for your prayer support! It shows.