Feel The Pain Baby

I  just received this update on baby Jonah:

From the Silverbergs (Missionaries in New York)

This is another update from a family whose baby is fighting for his life after some intense heart surgery. See previous postings for more information and join us in prayer!

Dear Praying Family,

I just found out from Val what happened to Jonah on Saturday, as I was unable to get to the hospital because I was caring for Josh. Val thought she told me,but she didn’t.

Aparently, when being moved for a cat scan to check his brain function, Jonah, “coded”. He went into cardiac arrest, could not be revived with the paddles, and had no vital signs for some time. They did eventually revive him.
Thus, they are afraid to move him again, so they have taken him off pain medication to hope he feels pain and reacts. If he does not react, he could have irreversable and severe brain damage, or no brain function at all.

Please pray with us. It sounds terrible, but we hope he reacts to pain, and not just feel it.

In Christ’s Love,
Marty for Val

So dear praying friends, you can see several prayer needs here:
•that someone could care for sibling Josh so that both parents can get to the hospital;
•great physical needs for baby Jonah;
•guard the health of Val & Marty, give them supernatural peace
•wisdom, insight and skill of medical staff
•Godwilling, a miracle so profound that God receives great glory and observers come to faith and spiritual growth
•that they all are comforted by love & support of our prayers.

Please take this time to let them know that you are praying; let us shower them with the love of God. Please add a comment, Bible verse, or whatever encouragement that you feel lead to post for them.

I created this edited photo of Baby Jonah as an encouragement and entitled it “Showers of Prayers for Baby Jonah”.

WHAT IT WAS VS. WHAT IT IS

I have had quite a few brand new friends who I have met via newmedia and on the internet who have never heard me talk before the “ATTACK” so when they hear me speaking on the recent video clips they do not think anything about my heavy weird accent.

ASIDE: By the way the votes for “What kind of accent do you think it is?” is leaning very heavily toward French and Swedish/Norwegian. One good friend has accused me of being a Russian spy. And one of my 4H dog club kids thinks I sound British like Victoria Stillwell of dog training fame.

BEFORE To help those people who have never heard my “regular talking voice” here is a clip of me conducting an interview of an intercity ministry. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JQjncoi9jc You will notice some hesitation in my speech as I am thinking of the questions off the cuff, but even a very untrained ear can tell I do not sound like the same person.

AFTER Now… compare this to my most recent little clip from last night
http://www.tokbox.com/vm/b6ae3opqguin

You hear a very noticeable difference don’t you??
Friends, students and family are helping me to laugh about it, because if I don’t stay light-hearted enough it will make me want to cry.

THIS IS NOT ME!!
My regular voice is gone! Instead I am having to hear these weird accents coming out of my mouth. STILL, I am extremely thankful to have any voice at all. Can you imagine it?

I have had friends call me on the phone, and then just about hang up as they say “I’m sorry, I have gotten the wrong number.” I go into a quick “wait a minute! it is me, Ellen, don’t hang up!” Then I must give them some kind of fact that a stranger wouldn’t know, to convince them it is ME!! It IS me!!

It has now been a week and a half since the first numbness showed up, and almost as long that I have been speaking with a foreign accent. I sometimes get a bit down about the situation. No doctor has an answer about what is going on — we just don’t see any obvious signs of stroke or any bad tumor or anything on CT or MRI.

The speech therapist I saw on Wednesday was thinking maybe Bells Palsy, but some of the symptoms do not jive. I have just started finding something called “Foreign Accent Syndrome” mentioned on the web. So I will continue to research as I await my neurologist appt. on the 29th.

I praise God that He never gives us more than we can handle. I am being forced to
(1) speak funny OR (2) shut-up. Those of you who know my passion for communication (talking with people and about the Gospel) know which option of those two that I am taking.

Here are some things running through my head a lot lately:
“Be still — and KNOW — that I AM GOD!” –
We are fearfully and wonderfully made; tho’ this is scarey it IS facinating!
I must laugh because if I take it too seriously I will cry.
How much faith do I really have?
I choose to believe that God IS in control of even this.

What do you think about this? I REALLY want to know.
I am seeking any advice, ideas or answers anyone might have.