Monday, April 30, 2007

Thank you for your prayers for Jordan

Thank you for all your prayers for Jordan while he was in the hospital. He is home now and doing much better, but still having some problems with his energy level and air intake. The doctors told us that asthma is the root cause of the illness that took him to the hospital. We so much appreciate your concern and your prayers. Thank you to Jean and his family and to Ernest, all from Rwanda, who prayed for him. Thank you to Joe Lopez, who prayed for Jordan for six hours when he heard that he had been hospitalized. Thank you to Barbara, who told us that the Father woke her up in the night and told her to pray for Jordan. She got out of bed and got on her knees and prayed for him. That happened during the first very rough night that Jordan spent in the hospital and the next day he was much, much better. Thank you, Father, and thank you and God bless you, Barbara. Thanks also to Robert and Dana and Felicia and Antonio and Nikki and so many others who prayed for him also. Today a nurse at the doctor's office told Jordan that they prayed for him when he was taken to the hospital by ambulance from their clinic. We are grateful to the Father for raising up people to pray for Jordan, and also for answering their prayers.

It was a joy to see Jordan in the hospital. Even in the midst of his own suffering, he prayed for others and shared the pictures of Jesus. We took many pictures with us and gave out Jesus to families whose loved ones were suffering in the hospital, as well as to the staff. As we gave the pictures to people, they would give them to others in turn. Soon, as we encountered others and offered pictures to them we found out that many already had a picture they received from the people we had given them to the day before. In this way Jesus was being spread around the hospital quickly.

One time we were walking down a hallway and we offered pictures to a nurse who was walking past us. She told us that she had some but that she would like more, because she had given the one she had to her mother after her mom saw it and "fell in love with it". The nurse said that she always prays for her patients and the ells them that she is doing so, and she said that now she will pray for them and give a picture of Jesus to them.

We met a man who is a soldier in the emergency room. He was there with his nine year old daughter who had fallen and hit her head. She was waiting to have a cat scan to check for concussion. We offered him pictures and he gratefully took them as he told us about her condition.

Therese was out to the parking lot and she passed by a women on a bed in the hallway who was waiting to be seen by the doctors, She showed her one of the 8x10 pictures of Jesus and asked if she would like to have it and she gratefully took it. Then she passed by another bed in the hall where there was a woman with a man sitting beside her. Therese showed them a picture of Jesus and offered it to them. The man took the picture and looked at Jesus. Then, he looked at Therese and said with wonder, "Are you giving this to me?" She said, "Yes" and he received the picture with joy.

We carried the pictures with us as we went to the different areas of the hospital, and in the halls and on the elevator people would say how beautiful the picture was and we would give them one or more. Two women in the cafeteria were given pictures and they asked about our reason for being at the hospital and after hearing about Jordan said they would be praying for him.

We met a 15 year old boy named Caleb who had been in the hospital for a week. The doctors had not yet found what was wrong with him, but he was unable to keep any food down. He came into the recreation area in the children's area while Jordan was in there and he and Jordan started talking. Jordan asked while Caleb was in the hospital and found out that the doctors weren't sure yet. The doctors thought he might have appendicitis and would be going into surgery tomorrow if that was found to be true. Jordan offered him some pictures of Jesus and he took and put one on. Then Jordan put his hand on his arm and said, "I would like to pray for you, if that is okay." Caleb said yes, and Jordan asked Jesus to help the doctors to know what is wrong with him and heal him. Later that day he found out that he didn't have appendicitis and did not have to have surgery, but that he had food poisoning.

Jordan, Caleb, and Jordan's dad, Doug, started a game of monopoly in the rec room on the pediatric floor and a man came in with a baby and started talking with them. He was holding his 11 month old granddaughter who had had a seizure the day before and stopped breathing. He told us that although he had been a paramedic in the past that he suddenly could not remember what to do. He said there were a lot of people in the room and it was chaotic, so he called out to Jesus to help him to know what to do. Suddenly, the noise receded into the background and he remembered what he needed to do. He breathed three quick breaths into his little granddaughter and she started to breathe again on her own. He told us that he knows it was Jesus who brought her back. Therese called Jordan to come over and told him what happened to the baby and asked him to pray for her. Jordan put his hand on her to pray then looked over at the table where his dad and Caleb were sitting and said, "come on over and lets all pray for the baby". They came over and prayed for her. Then, Jordan took off the picture of Jesus he was wearing and gave it to the baby, and then Caleb took his picture off and gave it to the grandfather.

Later we met a young mother who has two children. She had her two year old girl with her, while her seven month old son, Michael. was in the hospital room. They had brought Michael by ambulance the day before. He has asthma and he could barely breathe. Therese talked to her and then told her that we would be praying for her baby. Therese bent down to talk to her daughter. When she did the little girl hugged her and then she took a hold on the picture of Jesus that Therese was wearing. With one hand she held the picture, with the other she pointed at Jesus. Therese said, "This is Jesus" and then she tried to stand up but the little girl would not let go of the picture. Finally, Therese took it off and gave it to her and then handed some more to the mother. The mom said she was so glad to have them, and that she was going to put one in the bed with her baby.

One day we gave a picture of Jesus to a woman who told us she was having troubles at home. The next day she came back and told us that she had put the 8x10 picture up on the wall in her bedroom and that she already felt a difference in her home. She put her hand on her chest and said I feel peace.