Many of you have been praying for the health of our family during the past few weeks. In this update we wanted to share with you the story of God working through your prayers.
It all started the day before the mission’s team from Smokey Point Community Church was due to fly into Moscow. We awoke in the morning and turned on our computers. There was a strange message with misspelled words sent from Benjamin’s phone. I wrote back to him saying that someone must be playing around with his phone or spam is being sent from it. Several minutes later a new message came in: Benjamin was in pre-op at the hospital waiting to go into emergency surgery. We soon began a new journey of faith in our walk with Christ.
After eating lunch the previous day Benjamin wasn’t feeling good. He went home from his painting job thinking he was getting sick, since he had a stomach ache. He called our family doctor who advised him to see how the rest of the day went and to call her back if the pain became worse. At this point Benjamin thought it might have been something he had eaten.
The next day the pain had not decreased. In fact, it had increased and was becoming unbearable for Benjamin. He couldn’t stand up as the source of his pain had moved from his stomach to his side. He called our doctor again and this time she advised him to go to the ER. Since he couldn’t drive himself there due to the pain and no one else was home at the time, she offered to personally take him to the hospital. As she was getting ready to leave her house, Benjamin phoned to say he was able to connect with the family where he was staying (Bob & Janlee Lewis). They rushed home and immediately drove him to the ER at Evergreen Hospital in Kirkland, WA.
After an hour of examinations, including a CAT scan, the doctors determined that Benjamin had a ruptured appendix and needed surgery immediately.
When we received the message about the operation, we were able to make several calls to the States. Eventually we were able to connect with Benjamin just minutes before he went into surgery. This was the first time we have had any major surgery with any of our boys. Yet God graciously showed His love to us through this. As Benjamin was being wheeled into surgery we were told that the Chief of Surgery would be performing the operation. What a blessing! Lisa was able to later talk with the surgeon on Benjamin’s phone. He was surprised at how quickly the appendix ruptured and the amount of infection that spilled into his abdomen.
Our dear friend, Janlee, was by Benjamin’s side 24/7 for the first few days. We were so thankful for her love, kindness, and care for Benjamin while he was so sick. She watched over Benjamin like she was his personal nurse, often times questioning what the actual nurses were doing or not doing. We are also thankful for all the other friends who prayed, sent cards, and stopped by the hospital to spend time with Benjamin.
On the second day of Benjamin’s recuperation from surgery Lisa received a phone call from Michael in Germany. He was experiencing pain that was causing him to lose sleep at night and miss classes. The dorm staff consulted with the school nurses as well as a staff teacher who used to work as a doctor in a ER in North America. They all recommended Michael see a local doctor. When that doctor was unable to find the problem he sent him to another doctor. During the week Michael ended up going to 5 different doctors in 5 days, none of which were able to figure out what was causing his pain.
Lisa was now staying up during the night to communicate with Benjamin, then spending the days talking with staff at BFA to figure out what to do with Michael. All the while, Bob was in Western Siberia with the Smokey Point short term missions team connecting in the morning and evening with Lisa since he was out of cell phone coverage during the day.
Benjamin was admitted on a Wednesday night and released the following Monday. Due to the strong antibiotics he was taking to fight the infection, he was unable to eat much. He went home to the Lewis’ where nurse Janlee continued to look over his recuperation. The Lewis’ took wonderful care of him and by the end of the week he was feeling better. Bob helped him move into his apartment at SPU where he started classes the following morning.
Michael was put on strong antibiotics to deal with the infection that the doctors thought he might have. He was also given pain pills to deal with the pain so he could sleep at night. After two rounds of antibiotics his pain was less but the doctors had not been able to identify the source of the problem. He was able to regain his strength and health in order to join the rest of the junior class of BFA for a four day trip to the beaches of Normandy and then a day in Paris. Please continue to pray for wisdom for the doctors to identify the cause of his pain so he can be treated.
Bob finally returned from Siberia with the Smokey Point team to support Lisa and the boys. We were encouraged with all the positive signs. But we soon learned God was not finished teaching us. That afternoon we received an email from our youngest son, Timothy, stating that he was in quarantine in the nurse’s office at BFA with the possibility of Swine Flu. Germany is concerned about the spread of the flu and requires all schools to isolate students with high temperatures that might have symptoms of the swine flu. For two nights he was confined to a room with no visitors allowed. We were able to talk to him by phone several times. After the second night it was determined that he was just running a temperature and did not have the swine flu. Some of the kids at BFA started to refer to the “Merrill curse” since they had heard about Benjamin being in the hospital, Michael unable to attend classes, and Timothy in quarantine.
Throughout this difficult time we were encouraged by churches and friends who were praying for our family. Even the Russian churches were setting aside time to pray specifically for our boys.
Nothing tugs at the hearts of a mother and father as when you hear your child is sick, going into a hospital, or in pain. The urge to just be there and hug them is so strong. And through this difficult time we have learned in new ways to trust in the Lord. Not only for the health and well being of our sons, but to trust Him to provide the hugs that we can’t give while living here in Russia.
Thank you for your prays and support for our family and ministry here in Russia
