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 GOD’S TIMING IS PERFECT...  ::

My first day back in the village was a very unique day.  I hiked in, and on the path leading to the village I met one of the local boys helping his father carry some produce.  His smile was priceless.  He was so happy to see me.  He immediately asked his father if he was allowed to walk with me to the village and participate in the days learning activities.  We walked together and were met by many other excited children.  As excited as they were to see me, I think I was more excited to see them.

Then I ran into a teenage girl who is helping us teach mandarin Chinese to the children.  She was not happy like the others but tears stained her cheeks.  Her mother was quite sick and her father was not treating her mother very well.

These types of issues I usually allow the national workers to address because they understand the culture much better than me.  They returned from meeting with the family and asked me to come and pray for the mother.

When I entered their small home the mother was laying on the bed, lips were white and moaning in pain.  I prayed for her and then made arrangements to get her to a hospital.  Because of the amount of rain that has fallen here there was a dump truck stuck in the mud blocking the road so a car could not get by.  So the mothers’ sister and I took turns caring her on our back until the car could come and reach us.

I gave my national colleague a little money and then allowed her to take the lady to the hospital.  I then started my walk back and began making plans to go work in the office.  An hour later, when I was half way to the office I got a call from our national worker who said the lady required immediate surgery to survive.

I then hopped into a taxi and was off to the hospital. 

The family did not have near the money to pay for the surgery, and would have had no choice but to watch her die.  I phoned my leader and we decided that we had to do something.  The surgery cost the maximum amount of money I was allowed to take out of the bank in one day.  Anything more than that we would not have had the money to pay.  By the time I got to the hospital with the money (they do not start a surgery until money is in hand) the doctor said that this lady had maybe  10 more minutes left before the damage was irreversible.

The surgery was done, and I made my way back to my home to have some supper.  I arrived home and sat on my couch processing the day’s events.

Had we not been there that day she would have died and three of our kids would have been motherless.  Had we shown up a few hours later, the result would have been the same.  I believe God orchestrated this event.  That he had us arrive when we did.  He knew. The family continues to thank us for our kindness, and I respond “Don’t thank me, thank God.  He gave us the money and brought us to the village just in time.  He loves you guys and is watching over you.”  It reminded me of how special each person is through the eyes of God.

This woman was released from hospital one week after the surgery.  We are all so grateful for the Fathers hand in this situation.

by “Neil” serving in Restricted Access Asia