Three Months of Struggling

This is rather urgent request for prayer for little baby Jonah Silverberg who has struggled almost his entire three months of life. Please join with us in prayer and see what the Lord is doing in the lives of those who are prayed for as well as those who pray!

Dear Praying Family,

Thank you for your continued prayer, love,support and encouagement.
Jonah has contracted a Sepsis infection in his blood. He has had many transfusions.
The source of the infection has not been determined.
He has been very close to death 2 times this week.
The Lord is also very close to him, and us as well.
We are trusting in Christ, who loves us all so very much.

Jonah is being treated with anti biotics.
Just seeking more prayer, hoping your Church may receive this in time to pray as a Church.
So glad to have you as our supporters.
So glad to have the Mission, BMM, so strongly behind us, there for us.

Looking forward to a good time of worshiping our Lord, and ministering to our Church family.

Thanks again, so very much. It’s been a long hard journey. Jonah has been thru so very much,
it really hurts to see him have to struggle so. He can be in no better place, as in the will of Jesus.
Nor can any of us.

We love you dearly,
In Christ’s Love,
Marty for Val

I am posting this from my church in hopes that you will have time to pray in yours.

Hope is Springing Forth for Baby Jonah

Here is an update on Baby Jonah still fighting  against so many health trials. If you have not been one of those regularly following the story of baby Jonah and the Silverberg family, you can just search on this site for “baby Jonah” and you can read all that the Lord is doing and the specific prayers that are ongoing as well as those that have been answered in mighty ways.

As of April 5th…2011

Dear Praying Family,

We are ever so greatful to you all for your prayers for us and our baby.

We went thru some dark days, as it looked again that we would lose Jonah,

but God has answered our prayers once again.

Jonah is still running a fever, but is mildly improving.

There is talk of possibly releasing him to a rehab hospital in Westchester,

in possibly as little as a month, or as long as 6 months.

We look forward to this, yet the challenge of having Jonah an hour away, instead of a few minutes

is one we have no idea how to work out logistically with considerations of the entire families needs.

We are still completely on our own in regards to staying w/ Jonah at the hospital and caring for our

other 3 children.

This has been a most difficult and challenging time in our lives.

The Lord has supplied us w/ strength, although at times it seems we are not able to rise to the callenges,

but God is with us.

Thank you so much for your continued prayers for Jonah’s recovery and for our family.

Jonah is 14 weeks old today. He is still in ICU.

In Christ’s love,

Marty for Val Silverberg

Worn Out and In Danger

Please join me in another blast of prayer for little Baby Jonah Silverberg and his dear family. He is going to be only 13 weeks tomorrow and has been having one life-threatening occurrence after another taking a toll not only on his physical body but on his family and caretakers as well. It has been a roller-coaster of emotions as this 4th child to a family of Christian missionaries in the Bronx fights for his life while his parents also struggle to meet the needs of the rest of the family, home, ministry and their own emotional, physical and spiritual needs.

God has shown us great miracles in the fact that little Jonah has lived through all that he has. This tiny child has literally been brought back from death’s doorway via heart attacks and breathing problems… he’s endured high fevers, poor breathing, digestion, and brain wave activity… it’s truly amazing!

If you are new to Baby Jonah’s plight, please just search “Baby Jonah” even in this site’s search box and you can read how very much this family has endured. God is faithful all the way along, and we may not understand what is being accomplished by all of this. However, of this one thing we can be sure: God is, always has been, and will always be…IN CONTROL!

NOW:

Dear Praying Family,

Jonah’s condition has taken another turn for the worse.

His Sepsis infection has returned, he is running a fever,

his central line is infected, and he is generally doing very poorly.

3 attempts were made to put in a new line, all failed.

The cardiac team does not want a line put in his upper body,

as they still hold out hope for the next round of surgeries to

save Jonah’s life. Upper body lines would eliminate the chance for

such future surgeries. The team meets today to discuss what to do.

Jonah is still unable to digest nutrients, and is on the ventilator attached to his

trach tube.

We are very worn out as well.

Thank you for your continued faithful prayers.

Jonah will be 13 weeks old tomorrow.

In Christ’s Love,

Marty for Val

on the 24th after his Trach tube surgery

“Dear Praying Family,
Trach surgery went well. Jonah continues to recover from it. Please continue in prayer for him and the rest of our family. We are hoping and praying for him to recover from this surgery, and his sepsis infection. Then we hope to find out why he is not digesting any nutrients. It has been suggested that his G-tube, for feeding is leaking.
Thank you so very much.”
In Christ’s Love,
Marty for Val

All of this has been such a long trial. Please join me in praying for God’s best to be evident. That the most awesome glory go to God while the wonders He has wrought through this little one’s life testify to His love for every detail of every heart beat, breath and movement. Of course, I am asking for Jonah’s physical comfort and healing, but also his emotional peace. I cannot imagine! Does he get to be cuddled at all with all the tubes? I pray so. I know that Val has made every effort to be at his side as much as possible and is surely having physical contact with him.

I am asking specifically for prayer for Jonah’s mother and father, Val and Marty Silverberg. How very hard it must be to see there little one in distress. I am also asking that as you look at your own family gathered around the dinner table, or as you read them a bedtime story and tuck them into bed; or as you simply hold them in your lap close to your chest — will you not send a great prayer of thanksgiving for the precious gift that you have been given in that child(ren)?

Now, will you also lift up a heart-felt prayer for Jonah’s older brothers and sister? These children haven’t gotten to even play with their little brother, but in their limited child-like understanding, have to come to terms with “we don’t know”. His older sister Shakinah is especially sensitive to the precarious uncertainties of her little brother’s future.

A Scary Surgery Tuesday

If you have not been reading about Baby Jonah Silverberg and praying with us, you can join us right now. Back posts are searchable on this sites search box or even on web searching.

Baby Jonah will be facing yet another surgery Tuesday the 22nd. After being born with a major heart deformaty only about four months ago, this tiny boy has not even been able to go home to his missionary parents home with his older brother and sisters. Marty and Val Silverberg have had to face numerous surgeries, near death episodes, nutritional concerns, brain functioning scares, recently a sepsis infection due to numerous blood transfusions and now … tomorrow, Tuesday, March 22nd, little Jonah faces a life threatening surgery as they place a trachiotomy tube which may prove too great a strain on his weak heart.

Dear Praying Family,
 
Jonah is still not receiving food.
He is on IV drip.
 
Val has decided to go ahead w/ Tracheotomy surgery.
She wants to be able to take him home.
He cannot breathe on his own. Drs. say it is a mystery why.
He is not able to digest nutrients either.
Trach surgery comes w/ risk of fatal heart attack.
Hoping for surgery this week.
Little Jonah has been thru so much.
Please continue to Pray w/ us for a miraculous recovery.
Also, we all need strength to go on.
 
We have received much encouragement from some of you, esp those, going thru or having gone thru similiar. Thank you for sharing w/ us your pain and encouraging us.
 
In spite of reports stating different, we are still w/o any help either at home or at the hospital.
We are grateful for a woman and her daughter who want to come and help from 2 hours away, and are prayerfully working thru the best way to receive their help, which may be available Mondays and Saturday afternoon.
 
Thank you so very much for your continued prayer support during this long and difficult time.
Jonah will be 12 weeks old on Tuesday.
 
In Christ’s Love,
Marty for Val

AND THEN

Dear Praying Family,
 
We received a call tonight that Jonah will have the Trach put in tomorrow, which is Tuesday, 3/22/11.
 
Val is a bit out of sorts as the heart specialist is weary of this trach surgery at this time, and Jonah’s ability to live thru this. Val feels it needs to be done, and I support her decision.
 
Also found ouit from Josh’s bus driver that tomorrow, Tuesday is a half day for Josh, further pushing things out of sorts. We had many other things on the sched for tomorrow also, we’ll see what the Lord allows.
 
Thank you again for your prayers.
 
In Christ’s Love,
Marty for Val

I hope you will keep this tiny soul, his family and the surgeons and nurses who care for him in you prayers.

Dear Val & Marty,
I am especially praying for you to have blessed assurance and that your darling little one will be cradled in the loving arms of God as he faces this next big event. I do believe God is sparing the child much of the pain we loved ones fear he is going through. We have such a loving and merciful Father.
Alongside you in the Spirit, Ellen

Spring from Struggling to Singing

Tonight at around seven twenty in Central Indiana we are going to mark the change of season from Winter (my least favorite) to Spring (my most favorite). I have been long looking forward to the gloomy gray skies filled with biting winds and bone-chilling cold being replaced by blue skies filled with singing birds, and some renewing rains and sunshine.

I like counting down toward Springtime, because I KNOW my time of struggling will be at an end…soon.

Unlike the seasons of a calendar year our seasons of testing and trials do not usually come with a fixed end date to be marked on our calender of events. In fact, while we are enduring the various pains of such a season of gloominess, it may actually seem as if we will never emerge from it. Yet, God’s Word has various places of encouragement for us in these times. God will never leave us or forsake us. He loves us; seeks only our betterment as His children. God allows us to undergo suffering from time to time so that we might more readily identify what Jesus Christ did to deliver us from our sins.

Spring IS coming; Winter WILL end.

Here is an update from Marty & Val Silverberg who are missionaries in the Bronx. There have been numerous postings on little Baby Jonah who has really had quite a struggle physically all his 4 little months of life. You may find out more about his story by simply searching “Baby Jonah prayer” on this site or just search it on the web.

Dear Praying Family,

There is little change in Jonah’s condition.
Sepsis infection is improving a little.
Another serious situation in which Jonah is not
able to digest nutrients even after surgery and w/ a g tube for feeding.

Your continued prayers are very much appreciated.
Thank you again.

In Christ’s Love,
Marty for Val

Please join us in continuing to pray for Jonah’s many physical needs and the Silverberg family as a whole.

Tsunami of Prayer

As I watched more Earthquake/Tsunami footage, waited and prayed. I also couldn’t help but ponder about what the Bible has to say about the nature of Holy God. From the very opening words of Scripture it says “In the beginning God…” !  It serves as a great reminder that as modern or technologically sophisticated we may believe ourselves to be, man is still the created and God remains the Creator and Sovereign.

I learned that Japan is frequently esteemed for it’s disaster readiness. I then contrasted that with the thought that although they may be prepared for an earthquake or other natural disaster are they really ready for their future?

As I spent the entire night without sleep I was fasting in prayer. I thought about how somehow appropriate it was that this was happening during the season of Lent; a time of darkness awaiting the coming light. I drew many analogies to what was happening in Japan and our attempts in my city, state, county and nation for building a Christian Emergency Network. This being a group of people who serve the community during times of distress by not only helping meet their physical needs, but also addressing their spiritual needs. Disasters come and go, but the power of the Gospel is an everlasting deliverance.

I literally had hours to focus on what God was doing in the Midnight Hours!! At this time when I would normally have been asleep for hours and not even known about what was happening on the other side of the world I was having a study in the impact of prayer.

WHY? Isn’t that often the question at such times as this?

Why am I really up now? Do I not trust that God has everything under control? Am I grotesquely “rubber necking” at the images playing out in the footage from the other side of the world? I had to really pray “search my heart oh Lord, and let me know if there is any wicked way in me. Reveal any sin in me so that I may repent and be in good standing with you and with others.” I know the importance of coming into His presence with a clean heart so that I would not be offensive to Him. I want my time of prayer and seeking God to be one of communion in a sweetness that grows my relationship with Him as I long to learn more about God and how to be transformed into a more accurate image of who He created me to be.

After I addressed these concerns I was better able to focus on reaching out over the world-wide web to people with news as it was happening live. This is a passion of mine; communication through using visual new media in order to take people I may never have met and be able to encourage and equip them. “Coming alongside” also meaning “to comfort”  the Greek word paraklesis — the very act of doing life “together” is what the church is called to do I believe. The “Helper” that Jesus said He was going to send when He went away was the Holy Spirit — the paraklete. I get so stirred up with the Holy Spirit at such times that it is like this Tsunami Wave crossing the Pacific…it’s traveling great distances at high speed (500 – 700 m.p.h.) and is anticipated to have an impact!

WHAT IS A TSUNAMI?

Being from the land-locked Midwest United States, many of the people I live around haven’t a clue what a Tsunami is. Therefore, I thought I would use this short little clip to help explain:Wave-generation-characteristics-recession-inundation

So a Tsunami is generated by a sudden shock. It is NOT a gigantic wave but is more like a surging high tide in fast motion. Out at sea where the ocean floor is so deep there may be no little elevation of a “wave” detectable. However, as the Tsunami wave reaches the shoreline and shallower ocean floor, the elevation of the wave will increase. In fact, as Tsunami is nearing the shore, a sudden very outgoing tide may signal the impending trouble soon to follow. Just as it is often “darkest before the dawn”; it is often an extremely fast outgoing low tide tsunami tide feeder right before the incoming high tsunami tide comes surging in.

We saw that principle at work after the New Orleans flooding disaster a few years back. Tremendous loss of life and property, a very dark time for many people and their communities. Then, just as God always does … the light of goodness comes shining thru. God’s light doesn’t just trickle in either, it FLOODS in to overtake the darkness. How does God do this? Through prayer.  Don’t you see? We are given the awesome honor of being able to join in a concert of prayer! Today, with our connectivity through the internet and mobile devices, more than ever we are able to reach out at any time of day or night and say “here I am,” “I am here with you,” and “let’s pray.” Isn’t that exciting?

One of my favorite songs talks refers to the story in the Bible where Jesus halted the raging storm with a word. Some of the lyrics say, ” sometimes he calms the storm, other times he calms the child.” That is to say, when we go through these “storms” of troubles, as I pray for God to “stop the storm,” but IF I am praying according to His will, I think I will pray like Jesus did in Gethsemene before He went to die to take on punishment for sins He never committed. . . “Father please let this cup pass from me, nevertheless, not MY will, but THINE be done.”

It seems so often that when I have prayed this way for others God either changes their situation to a more acceptable/comfortable one OR God causes such growth through both the person and me that I then see the “why” more clearly. When I still don’t see the “why” I firmly stand on “His ways are higher than my ways… I am His child always and forever… He loves me and will only do what is best for me.” And that goes for any of my brothers and sisters in the Lord as well.

UPDATE:

My friend in Maui reports that they had only about six foot waves and had a photo on his FaceBook page from their hotel where there were a couple of people actually out in the rough surf. That is not smart. In fact, upper California or Oregon had a person or two swept out and lost at sea for such foolish activity. Another analogy for those who will not heed a warning and believe “it’s not that bad” or “it doesn’t apply to ME”.

Santa Barbara, I waited as long as I could before writing this post, but Sue had not called me back so I found out through an online source that the beaches had been closed along the California coast as a precaution. However, they just warned people in the marina, and told swimmers and surfers to remain out of the water until the all-clear is given.

So no harm done to either of the places and people that I was praying fervently for all night long. That is, those that I already knew. However, my prayers are continuing for the people of Japan!! There have been reports of hundreds, but I suspect more like thousands of deaths. Plus I keep going back to the thought of the ripping hearts of the mothers and thier babies separated, unable to communicate. Also the myriads of people who are stuck without transportation walking towards there homes; not knowing if their homes are even there. Remember, it is also very COLD! There are some emergency shelters, but those will be full and stretched in resources. Families are certainly separated, unable to locate one another. Are they safe? God only knows !

Therefore, I will continue the tsunami wave of prayer for the relief and rescue efforts that are no doubt underway even now. I am exhausted! I have been up for nearly 2 solid nights now. However, since I have posted this, I am going to be able to get to sleep knowing that God is at work in all this.

As mighty as the power of that earthquake was, and as devastating as the resulting waves of destruction across Japan – God Himself is the ALL-Mighty who never sleeps nor slumbers. It is night now, I must sleep. I will do so with the glorious hope of the approaching light of a brighter tomorrow!