Sunday, July 7, 2013

The Power of Our God!

It's Sunday night and I am just chilling on the blue couch.  My roommates and I are watching Back to the Future.  It's been a pretty relaxing day.  Today, we celebrated Thanksgiving here at New Hope.  A time to come together and to verbalize both with our mouths and with our hearts all that we are thankful for.  Today, I find myself thankful for the power of my God.... for our God.  This past week was a FULL week and despite taking a few naps this weekend, I still find myself ready to hit the sack tonight.      But, before I do, I definitely want to take a few minutes to share.  To give God a Holla Holla applause.... because while He is always very present with us, this past week was full of watching Him miraculously intervene.  This past week, my friends from back in Fort Wayne were here visiting.  Kevin, Ellen, and their thirteen old daughter Lindley were visiting.  It was so great having them.  Last Sunday, we were just preparing to sit down for lunch when we got the message that there was a lady at kiwoko hospital that needed blood.  Within a few short minutes, the situation became increasingly clear.   Florence, who had just had a c-section hours earlier, was bleeding.  She needed blood.  I offered to go the hospital.  Upon arriving, it was VERY clear that this woman was critically ill.  She was barely responsive.  Going back to surgery was not an option nor was getting any type of blood product at the hospital.  They did not have any blood or plasma to give her.  For a short while, we thought we were literally going to put her in the back of a vehicle and start driving to a hospital in the capital. And before we realized it, the ambulance that we didn't think was coming... came.  After putting her in the back of the ambulance, we took off.  I hopped into the back of the ambulance, along with two other nurses.  Our only equipment was oxygen.  As we bumped along the roads of Uganda heading at an impressively fast pace towards the hospital, I prayed.  In fact, many people were praying.  I thought for sure she was going to slip away as we bounced towards the capital.  And God, in HIS mercy and power, sustained her.   We arrived at the hospital and she was hooked up to monitors.  Her pulse was near 160, blood pressure was low, and she was requiring oxygen.  Her blood was taken and we waited.  She became agitated and a check of her oxygen level showed that she was not getting enough oxygen. She was deteriorating.  She was placed on a face mask and a conversation with the doctor followed.  Her hemoglobin was 2.4!!! A normal level is 12-16.  Her blood type was A- which is a very rare blood type.  And the request for prayer warriors was put out by many.  Her vitals which had been terribly started to stabilize.  It was crazy cool!  She received the ONE unit of A- blood that the hospital had.  A second unit was obtained by a friend who came along. By the next morning, when her hemoglobin was checked, her blood level had increased to 4.4.  She received the blood beautifully and it was very safe to say that God had stopped the bleeding.  Later the next day, she received two more units and her hemoglobin increased to 6.9.  Still low, but definitely manageable.  On the third day, she received another unit.  This momma of six was able to go home!  It was a beautiful display of God's power and the awareness that He alone is the sustainer of life.  The fact that she is alive is only because of Him...  
On Wednesday night, I experienced another display of the power of God.  My friend Hannah and I were up talking when we heard the shutters shaking.  At first, we thought it was someone standing outside of the window... but the noise became louder and the house began to shake.  We were in the middle of an earthquake! The earthquake lasted at least a minute... if not longer.  There was only one moment where I think we were both a little nervous.  It subsided.  Before the morning came, we experienced a total of three earthquakes... all at varying levels.  The first was 5.7.  And as I process this past week, I smile.  The same God who can shake the earth.... literally is the SAME God who can breathe life into a dying woman.  We truly serve a POWERFUL God and I am so thankful.

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