Prayer & Encouragement Needed Here

Wow! I just received the update on Baby Jonah Silverburg’s

Big Hug - c C.Schultz

exploratory surgery of yesterday. Remember, this little baby is only 52 days old!  I was shocked to hear of all the findings, but relieved that they were able to address specific needs with immediate surgical intervention.

Here is what the Silverbergs wrote:

Dear Praying Family,

Jonah is recovering from his surgery yesterday.

Two sections of his large intestine had to be removed.

These sections had been destroyed because of oxygen

depletion probably during the last episode of cardiac arrest.

The intestine was resectioned.

Also, his appendix was removed as it had attached to the large intestine at a wrong location.

Also, the small intestine had become attached to the liver, and it was separated.

The Liver is in the wrong place, as are his intestines.

The spleen was searched for, and it indeed is missing. This means Jonah will be on antibiotics for the rest of his life.

Thank you for your continued prayers.

In Christ’s Love,

Marty for Val

As I read the above news I could not help but recall Psalm 139:14 that says,

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

As mixed-up as this little boys insides would appear to us in relation to what should be where and how it should function … Jonah has been knit together in this unique way. God knows it all!  Despite what seems like impossible odds of living with such variations to his body, little Jonah is being a living testimony to what God can do in even the darkest-appearing circumstances.

It never ceases to amaze me; our Sovereign God chooses to use the weak and frail things to show His greatest glory. Surely, little Jonah, and his missionary family with their own challenges are being used greatly!

Especially with the abundance of discoveries made in this last surgery, I am praising God for His provision of good surgeons and hospital care for little Jonah. God has placed him in a hospital where these specific needs can be addressed. Do you know how amazing that alone is? However, this also shows a great deal of struggle in the future for this family who is already so worn down. May God’s love and peace flood their spirit. We pray not because we intend to “change God’s mind,” but as we love our brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ, we hurt when they hurt and we rejoice when they rejoice. We are called as a loving body to uphold one another in Christian love, and how it pleases God that we prayer for one another.

It would mean a lot to them if you could leave them some encouragement. Even to just let them know that you are praying for them. Please leave a comment below and I will make sure it’s attached for them. Rather than flood their email, I will attach it to the posts.

Exploring for Answers

There has been an important change regarding Baby Jonah’s surgery today. His operation is going to be much more invasive as the surgeons are going to explore his insides to assess his organs while also getting a method established for his food to stay down.

Here is the note from the Silverbergs:

Thu, 17 Feb 2011
Dear Praying Family,
The situation has changed. Jonah will be having exploratory surgery today. They will open up the stomach area to see what is causing the problem as he cannot eat and keep the food down. They will look for constrictions and obstructions. They will look to see where his liver is and search again for his spleen.If all goes well, they will insert a feeding tube in his stomach.That means an opening in the abdomen and in the stomach. We are very concerned for bleeding, infection, and overall stress. Please pray that he will not have another cardiac arrest. This is a lot for this little baby. Jonah is 51 days old today. We are all not doing that well.  Thank you for your prayers.
In Christ’s Love,
Marty for Val

This poor baby; His tiny little body has already been through so much. Let us pray that this surgery will yield a better undrstanding of his needs as well as be successful in establishing a good method of nourishment. May the stress of the surgery & risk of infection be kept from impacting his recovery, all to God’s glory!

This dear family; they’ve had there heart’s torn as they watch their baby suffer such major trials. Torn between their children at home who want their baby brother home and well. The uncertainties of what will be discovered by today’s operation probably weighs very heavily on them right now!

So I ask you to join me in entering into this situation through prayer. That there is great hope beyond the trials. That we together may enter into the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings as brothers and sisters who are drawn more intimately into relationship with our Lord and Savior and His Body. Knowing that James 1:12 is true; there is a crown set aside in the future for those who endure.

Finally, may the peace that surpasses all we can even ask for be upon this dear family as we surround them with our prayers with the heart of God.

Feeding Tube Move

I just received this update from the Silverbergs regarding Baby Jonah who remains in critical care.

Dear Praying Family,

Jonah will be undergoing a procedure tomorrow [Feb. 17] to insert a feeding tube into his intestine and remove the tube from his stomach.

Doctors believe this may help w/ breathing problem.

Thank you again for your continued prayers.

In Christ’s Love,

Marty for Val

Needing to Breathe

Hello friends, I just received word from the Silverburgs that baby Jonah is having difficulties breathing. Here is their update:

Dear Praying Family,   Thank you again so very much for your faithful prayers on this long and difficult journey.  Jonah could not breathe sufficiently on his own yesterday, so he was not taken off the ventilator. When it was turned off, his CO2 levels rose significantly, so he was left on the machine. He was also throwing up. There is now some question as to whether he will ever be able to breathe on his own.Talk of a tracheotomy as well. Please pray that he will be able to breathe without the aid of a machine.Overall, we are thankful he is alive. We hope and pray for things to get easier for him soon. Thank you again.

In Christ’s love,
Marty for Val

I am praying that this little fellows lungs will grow strong enough to get off of the machine for good and that his vomiting subsides quickly. The longer he is tied to the machine, the harder it will be to wean him off of it.

Also, I am praying for Baby Jonah’s family… they have been on this long roller-coaster of ups and downs, the siblings and the parents having to be separated from him in these early weeks of his life is a great burden on them all.

It would be especially beneficial if you would take a moment and “comment” encouragement to them. We are the Body of Christ and called to love one another. If there is a word that you feel lead to give them, this would be a good place to do so.

For me… I tend to draw my strength from music and especially Christian music. And as a visual artist I also think in pictures. Right now, Dear Marty and Val… I visualize little Baby Jonah being held close by Jesus  and you with Him at his side singing “Jesus, Jesus, Lord to me; Master, Savior, Prince of Peace; Ruler of my heart today, Jesus Lord to Me”. . .” and “Draw Me Close to You; never let me go…”. These two songs are some of my favorite to sing like a lullaby while rocking with a baby.

Although I wouldn’t wish such heartache through these trials, I do know that God is there with all of you. I just pray that you are comforted by His presence.

God is the Air that I breathe… and over the next few days, as I draw my breaths, I will be reminded to think of little Baby Jonah and ask God’s grace to show unto you.

Answered Prayer: Light Floods the Tunnel

I am excited to report that there is light flooding into the tunnel. That darkness of the unknown can at times try to engulf us, however, today, I am excited to report a super flash of hope.
I read today where Joanne Heim (Littleton Colorado area) had a medical breakthrough regarding her medical condition and it involves my passion of communication and new media!

You see, I have been praying since January 11th, when I learned from a mutual friend that Joanne Heim (great Simple Life blogger, Christian author, wife and mother) suffered a sudden and severe stroke. Her young daughter found her in the basement shaking and an ambulance came to rush her away to the hospital where the family’s journey was about to take a drastic turn into a dark tunnel of unknowns.

There have been many ups and downs throughout the last month, seizures, brain swelling, surgery, coma, tracheotomy, monitoring of the brain activity. I have prayed for the two little girls Audrey (12) and Emma (not sure of her age) and of course, her husband, Toben who has curtailed his normal work in order to be by his beloved’s side.

It was interesting to hear Joanne’s situation mentioned on the local Moody Bible radio station that I listen to on a national program called Midday Connection. Then, apparently her blogsite registered 4,000 hits as people came to read about her and lift up prayers and comments of encouragement.  Friends have helped with updates being posted to her blog and even set up a way in which people could help the Heims out financially since this is taking Toben away from his normal job and also anticipated to be a lengthy and costly recovery.

I totally love how the Brotherhood of Christians come together and show the Father’s love at such times!! People who are thousands of miles away, still our brothers and sisters, can be reached through this wonderful tool of the internet. Blogs, Twitter, Facebook and even Skype are all powerful tools to connect with people in a way that some have viewed as too technological and therefore “cold and insensitive”. However, I disagree. This ability to communicate electronically has offered us great opportunities. That’s why I so love using it to practice my 5E’s of exalting; equipping, edifying, examining and evangelizing!!

Because of my own experiences with very rare Foreign Accent Syndrome since May 12, 2009, I am even MORE enthused about the process of communication and it’s many modes. Although I sound like a foreigner these last almost 2 years, I still count myself incredibly blessed to be able to sing and write normally.  This condition is so rare that many doctors don’t even know what it is, let alone how to help us. Consequently, I am so driven to have Linguistic Programs and Speech Pathology and Neurology labs to examine my and others’ brain via functional MRI or other means to learn more about the truly untapped wilderness of the human brain. I KNOW that a different area of my brain is functioning when I sing than when I speak. There is much to learn and I want to help.

Now; to the fantastic news that spurred this writing. My dear sister-in-the-Lord Joanne in a Colorado hospital, has blessed her caretakers and family with one simple act (simple, to someone who has NOT had a stroke nor been a coma).  Joanne cannot speak because of Tracheotomy and she’s had a hard time trying to use a pen and paper to write, but Toben had an idea to put an i-Pad in front of her. As she was in bed with the iPad, she utilized a doodle program and drew with her finger :

“Do we have Otter pops in the freezer at home?” A breakthrough!!! Then when therapist asked her what her favorite flavor was, she used her finger to spell out “orange”.  A great Hallelujah moment! I became emotional as I read the news and can only imagine the unspeakable joy that her husband Toben and the witnessing Speech Therapist were experiencing. I also am most rejoicing for dear Joanne… she can communicate!! How wonderful!!

It is a sign of progress that she is allowed to eat popsicles instead of only ice chips that they had been giving her. But this added ability to communicate by the use of an iPad is outstanding!!  She continued to write about being uncomfortably hot, and having a bit of trouble with her tracheotomy that medical staff were then able to address.

As exciting as all this news is; experience has taught me that this activity is especially draining on the brain.  She, no doubt, will get very tired, very quickly as she takes the extra effort to communicate. So that is a continuing prayer concern; her strength, endurance and ability to STOP and rest. (If you but read her blogsite postings, you’ll see that it is not generally her nature to just stop). I do pray for her, as I do myself, to make the time to stop; be still and know that He is Lord. She has seemed to me to be a driven person to “do” things. Now, the Lord has caused her to “rest in Him” an “be” rather than “do”. Oooh, that is a lesson I have frequented a LOT myself : P

At last nights prayer meeting Bible lesson, Kurt taught us out of  1st John 5: 1-5 where the apostle Paul talks of being “overcomers”.  It is through the Power of Jesus Christ that we are able to endure what appears unendurable; to more than survive a trial, but actually thrive in new ways as we come out of the other side of a dark tunnel of this world’s trials and into the Light of hope that is ours by being a Child of God and KNOWING that God promises never to leave or forsake us — He is our LIGHT through the darkness. His Word tells us these trials are “light and momentary” — not to belittle our experiences of suffering, but as a reminder that this world, in this decaying body… when viewed in light of eternity . . . is fleeting.

As I close, I invite you, my friends,  to join prayers for Joanne’s continued healing, that the testimony of the Goodness of God be evident to all who witness their responses of God-given peace and joy in the MIDST of the trial,  as well as praising God for his incredible mercies to her and her family.

Toben: I pray that you will share this with Joanne and the girls, so that they can know that God is at work through your situation, among His people, throughout the world.  They will know we are Christians by our LOVE.

To read Joanne’s Blog here is the link: http://thesimplewife.typepad.com/the_simple_wife/

For updates from Toben via Twitter: @tobenheim

6 Weeks: The Struggles Continue

If you have not been following this story, please read all the previous posts by searching “Baby Jonah” in the site’s search box.

This has situation continues to take a physical and emotional toll on the entire Silverberg family. So I encourage all of us to remain diligent in praying for them.

Dear praying Family,
No news is good news. Jonah has had a relatively quiet time since I last wrote. He is still very sick. He has a fever, is still on the ventilator, and is not conscious much, which may be better for him. They tried to put anew main “pick line” in him for medicines but could not get it in. After three hours of poking holes in him they gave up. Other than that, all is relatively well, for now. Please keep praying as he is far from being out of trouble.

Val is doing OK, except for exhaustion. I am having a very bad time w/ my hands and arms from shoveling. Painful, jarring, numbness, which won’t subside. Rest of spine and body in misery as well. Also exhausted. Josh, Shakinah and Josiah are having a very hard time with this continued situation. Please pray for us, especially Shakinah.   
   
Jonah is 6 weeks old today. Time flies, yet it has been a very long, hard 6 weeks. We do praise the Lord that Jonah is alive and God has used you to be a huge blessing to us thru this difficult time, which continues.
   
In Christ’s love,
Marty for Va