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Hope is Springing Forth for Baby Jonah

ellen5e — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 03:25:58 +0000

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

God of Power; God of Details

ellen5e — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 23:34:42 +0000

I just received an update from the Silverbergs regarding Baby Jonah’s continued struggle in critical care. They have very specific needs and I am thankful that this update is succinct and specific as to how we can pray for them. As the world focuses on this mornings devastating 8.9 earthquake off Japan and the ensuing Pacific Tsunami (I will be doing another post on that after supper), please also remember the Silverberg family in your prayers.

Dear Praying Family,

” The Lord’s Mercies are New Every Morning”

Thank you so very much for your love, prayers and support.

Jonah had another crisis on Wed

He had a virus and very high fever.

Valerie said he had thew RSV virus, caught from human contact.

The doctors could not control the fever. His heart rate was over 200 beats/ min.

for most of the day. The doctors and nurses worked feverishly over him.

Valerie told me as she watched, she was afraid he was dying, and the Doctors

couldn’t stop it from happening.

Well. Praise to the Lord, he began to come around and do better.

Val spent the night again at the hospital on Wed.

Jonah is not well but doing a little better.

We are still seeking help w/ someone to stay w/ Jonah when Val is not there.

We are also looking for the right person to hire for some nights w/ Jonah.

We are very thankful for the young women who did this to help us for 2 1/2 weeks.

Naomi was a huge blessing. How wonderful for her Family and Church to allow her to come

all the way from upstate NYand stay for that time. She asked for nothing in return. Only to

be a blessing.

It has now been over 2 weeks since she had to leave.

Also, we are praying for someone who can help on a regular basis w/ our 3 children, form 2-9 PM,

like 5 days a week. Or a part of that time or days. We need some continued regularity for the

childrens’ sake.

Josh is a handful, so the situation needs to be appropriate, as I will be home some of that time.

When Jonah comes home, we will still need the help.

If we lived by the Church, some folks would help. We live several neighborhoods away, and no one

in the Church has a vehicle. We also live by a different subway line.

Please pray w/ us for the Lord to provide the above mentioned help.

Thank you again, so very much for being there for us to rest our burdens on.

We love you very much,

In Christ’s Love,

Marty for Val

The God who can keep all the powers of the giant waves or quaking of the earth from completely anhilating all life in the Pacific this last fifteen hours is also concerned about the details of who can sit bedside with a tiny baby in the Bronx. There is nothing outside of our Sovereign’s sight and care!

Jonah’s Family Struggles Too

ellen5e — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 09:05:50 +0000

Silverberg Family ’09 Bronx,NY Missionaries

(photo from http://baptistbulletin.org/?p=5804 )

This post is very long for two reasons. One, I was too ill to work at computer even, and two, I included all the information that was sent me. This way, you will have a better idea of how to pray. I will post the two updates on critically ill Baby Jonah (and the entire Silverberg family) that I have received since the last post with the most recent first.

Date: Tue, 8 Mar 2011

Dear Praying Family,

Thank you again for your patience and perseverance in prayer for and with us.

Yesterday was a very difficult day. Jonah was struggling all day and in a lot of pain. X-rays revealed his breathing tube had pulled out of his lungs and was stuck in his throat. The tube was then removed and Jonah breathed on his own for 4 hours before failing and being put back on the ventilator. Doctors will meet today to discuss how to proceed. We are afraid tracheotomy is looking like a very real next step. When Jonah will get out of the hospital, we have no idea.

We are very glad he is alive, and hope he gets to come home before he goes in for his next surgery, which is scheduled for age 6 months, but may have to be delayed some now. Jonah is 10 weeks old today.

Last night, Val stayed at the hospital. It was very rough on us all. Shakinah, who is already not dealing well being a sibling of an older brother w/ Autism, was in tears last night. She wanted her mother. I, am suffering quite badly from the 32 foot fiberglass ladder job, which did more damage to my spine and neuromuscular condition than I thought, and also suffering sleep deprivation, had a very hard time putting the kids to bed alone. To get Joshy to sleep, Val has to get in the bed w/ him. She is usually exhausted and ready for sleep. I cannot do that, nor could I sleep all squeezed up like that in my condition. I found a way to finally get him to sleep, but it was nearly 11 PM. As usual, I squeezed in a little more work, till 1AM. Figured I’ d try to be in the bed about 5 hours. Figured wrong. At 3:49 AM, I was awakened by Shakinah, who was very disturbed by the continued absence of her Mom. Josh then awoke also. We didn’t get too much more sleep. Val did come home in time to get them ready for school. I took Shakinah and Josiah, and Val rushed to get Joshy and on the bus, which I fought so hard to get re-routed for a trip under 1 hour for him. Then Val went back to the hospital. I am trying to work, but moving very slowly. Then I’ll get the kids and start all over again.

We really need your prayers. Things are getting harder and harder. Our hired help is no longer available at the hospital. Val’s family will not help. My mom is 83 and not close by. The Church has some very nice people, but this is a type of inner-city mission, and we are also a Church. So no one is helping from the Church. In fact, these dear folks look to us to help them. One women, very new to Christ has offered to take Shakinah for a day. Shakinah does not know her, and we do not know her that well.

The Lakes have helped w/ the kids, and will help more. They also have their hands full w/ their own 2 children and a lot of ministry. So, there it is. We have sought help, and the Lord has deemed we continue to bear up under this load. So we go on, in the strength he provides. 70 straight days, except one day that all of us were snowed in. No end in sight. The isolation of ministry in the Bronx, and in fact NYC as a whole, is a very difficult aspect to ministry here. We have always known this. It is getting increasingly difficult for our children. Please keep us in your prayers.

My greatest joy, is being at Church, teaching the word. When I am doing my calling, while draining at times, this is like a refreshing vacation to me.

Thank you for allowing me to share. Thank you also for your comforting prayers, love and support of our family in this difficult time. Your e-mails have been a blessing to us.

Please accept our apologies for not being able to find the time to respond to your e-mail. We know we are loved and prayed for by many.

This is a huge encouragement to us.

We love you dearly in Christ,

Marty for Val

There was also this update prior:

Date: Thu, 3 Mar 2011 20:11:39 GMT

Dear Praying Family,

All is relatively the same w/ Jonah.

Today he is getting at least one of his lines removed and Having a Bromevac line inserted, to administer meds and draw blood.

Yesterday he struggled w/ an irregular heartbeat.

We are very thankful to not get the kind of news we got last week.

However, we must be prepared for good or bad news.

We are trying to tell ourselves each day is a gift, and we may have to give Jonah back to the Lord at any time.

Please pray for a critical issue:” Jonah needs to be able to breathe w/o the ventilator, or he’ll get a tracheotomy, which may be permanent. We really hope this will not be the case, so please pray about this.

We are still in need of help in the area of people to stay at the hospital w/ Jonah so Val can be home some. Also, Lord willing, when Jonah comes home, we will need some help w/ the Children, so I can get some more work done and Val can survive. I have no family and Val’s Family are not helping. So, all those wonderful young ladies who volunteered to babysit, we can use your help, I hope soon.

Yesterday, I patched the holes on top of the eaves of our house. Dr. Joel Grassi, came over to help me. The 32 foot ladder was definitely out of my league, even w/ help. I had to be the lead guy. This was my first time being the leader w/ a 32 foot ladder. Working in an 11 foot wide driveway, (bet.) house was tough. The ladder was heavy and hard to hold up while extending almost to full length.

That was so hard, picking it up, moving it, extending, and repeating, w/o dropping it.

The Lord helped us. Joel is not a big guy either. Climbing, tarring, using some roof fabric, tarring again, then sticking a little sheet metal on top of the tar was the easy part. Even working at 25 feet above the ground was easy. Getting the ladder down was almost as hard as putting it up. I did get my finger crushed, but that was it. I hope it is not broken. Maybe I’ll just lose the nail. So glad to get that patched. It should last at least a few weeks.

The upstairs of our house smells awful from the water that got in. I don’t know what to do about that water damage except hope it dries up.

We still need help fixing the eaves permanently.

Thank you again so much for your prayers.

In Christ’s Love,

Marty for Val

Friends, you can see how very much this entire family needs our prayers and support. This is taking a remarkable toll on their everyday family life for nearly three months now. Our church has recently gathered together many cards from our people to forward on to these Dear Ones as they endure this trial.

Please, I implore you dear reader, won’t you share a line or verse or some piece of encouragement with them by simply adding a comment at the end of this post?

Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”

Hope for Jonah

ellen5e — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 22:15:39 +0000

It has been a rough week praying for baby Jonah and family after receiving word that the doctors believed he was going to pass away due to his body not being able to get enough oxygen on its own. Although I prayed for a miracle, the later it got in the week without any news, the more I must admit that I was afraid to get the email that said Jonah had passed on. Oh, shame on my lack of faith for God delivered good news!

Here is the update from the Silverbergs:

Dear Praying Family,

The head surgeon met with his team and believes that the fatal prognosis is premature. He believes that what was seen on the tests may just be the scar tissue from the surgically attached pulmonary veins.We are thankful to the Lord. We believe the many prayers have made a big difference. Thank you so very much.

The surgeon also believes that the large stent placed into the aorta is delivering to much blood to the lungs. Remember, Jonah has only one pumping chamber, so blood is delivered to the body and the lungs from the same place. They are now giving Jonah medication to increase his heart output. Surgery was considered and ruled out, for now. They are also overfeeding him to try to get him to grow. A trach tube is also being considered. For now, there is continued life. We are happy and relieved. There are still many problems that must be overcome if he is to live. Our visit to Woodlawn Cemetery is now off the”to do”list for today.

Last week was a very rough week for us.We are so thankful to you for your prayers. I have not been able to e-mail many of our supporting churches, as when I searched for an e- mail address, I could not find one for many of our supporting churches, other had changed, and we don’t know to what, others had mail returned as undeliverable. Could you please get the word out to your church that we need the e- mail address, as we covet the prayers of our supporting churches. Right now, I simply do not have the time to be on the phone, esp. for many phone calls. My priority is the Lord, my family, and the ministry.

In Christ’s Love,
Marty for Val

So, friends this is great news! The fact that there is such a promising prognosis following a formerly grim one brought to my mind the following thoughts. “God will make a way where there seems to be no way.” It reminds me that God specializes in the impossible!

Don’t Know What to Say (Pray)

ellen5e — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 06:34:43 +0000

I was about to go to bed when I checked my inbox one more time and received this sad news relating to Baby Jonah!

Here is what Marty wrote:

Dear Praying Family,

Tests revealed Jonah’s Pulmonary veins, those that were rerouted 7 weeks ago and attached to his heart, are collapsing. Thus, when off the ventilator, he cannot breathe.
Doctors told Val that it is only a matter of time before they completely collapse, and he will die.

How much time is not known.

We still hold out hope. We hope the surgeon who did the operation will still have one more option to try.

We hope the Lord will have one more miracle for us.

Thank you for your continued prayers.

In Christ’s Love,
Marty for Val

Now I am wide awake in prayer for this dear family. The three siblings have not really been able to spend much time at all with Jonah. Marty and Val have been going through ongoing anguish of watching their littlest child struggle to overcome incredible health hurdles. With the latest prognosis, the Silverbergs need our encouragement all the more.

As for my reaction to this traumatic news? “Wow”! Two months young, and this tiny baby has been through so very much. Looking back at all the postings I’ve done of his status updates doesn’t really allow us to appreciate the magnitude of the challenges faced, nor the intensity of the prayers offered up on Jonah’s behalf.

And as variable as our concerns and prayers have been, there is one thing that slows down the inevitable emotional roller-coaster of such an on-going trial. That one thing is not really a “thing” at all …rather…a person. Additionally the term “person” cannot adequately even describe the absolutely awesome God who holds all things in existance. The Almighty has never once turned away from what is happening here.

Our mortal minds are not even capable of understanding “why” God allows certain things that seem so awful to happen, yet there is this “surpassing peace” that remains. God’s grace to us amidst our darkest trials remains … We cling to the steadfast truth of God’s Word which is His way of revealing Himself to us.

GOD IS LOVE ! As such, He is the very essence of love. He loves us more than we can fathom. I cherish that knowledge!! At such a time as this I rely on that fact to help me trust that as observers of Baby Jonahs gigantic struggles, I believe God protects that tiny body from some of the pain we believe he is feeling. I can pray for God’s will and not my own to be done, because my request for something might accidentally not be in the best interest of Jonah or his family.

Therefore, as difficult as it is to know how to pray… As much as I want to encourage Marty, Val and their family after being told that Jonah will most likely not survive this — I realize that saying “I don’t know WHAT to say,” is actually a profound utterance.

It admits to myself, to the subjects of my concern and prayers, as well as to The Almighty to whom I direct those prayers, “I have no power here. I would like everything to be fine, but I am incapable of doing anything but rely on the foundation of my faith…God Himself!

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Romans 8:26-27 that says:
26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;
27and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

I think that is so comforting!! Even when I can’t find the words, God even provides the interpretations of my groanings into an eloquent petition before The Sovereign God!! Amazing! Then there is the often quoted twentyeighth verse:

28And we KNOW that God causes ALL things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. {emphasis added}

This does assure me that things that seem to me to be “bad” may actually be viewed in a different perspective. It is like in the Book of Genesis in the Bible when Joseph stated to his brothers years after they sold him into slavery, “what you meant as harm, God intended for good”.

These are just some of the thoughts that I wanted to share with you as I am praying about this entire situation that the Silverbergs are in. My heart aches for Little Jonah and his entire family (even the medical staff who are battling right alongside him). But, I am only human and want to wave a wand to make everything fine. I try to “make sense of it all”. However, I realize that is vanity and chasing after wind. After all: what person could comprehend the ways of The Almighty?

Therefore, I offer you Beloved this:
I do not know what to say. Yet, I will proclaim that God is Love and has His best in store for them. And those “them” is us (those of us who have confessed & repented of our sins and applied the saving grace that God freely gives to all who will believe in the Redeemer Jesus Christ)!

One last thing–
Would YOU (yes YOU) please take a moment to share from your heart in the comment section whatever you feel led to write. I believe God can use YOU and ME to use this opportunity to display some of God’s love to our brothers and sisters.

Remember, you are even saying SOMETHING with “I don’t know what to say.” <3

Looking for Breath

ellen5e — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 21:53:48 +0000

I just received another update on Baby Jonah Silverberg, who is the critically ill infant (less than 2 months old) son of missionaries in the Bronx. Jonah is STILL having difficulty breathing so they will be doing a procedure today.

Here is the update:

Dear Praying Family,

Thank you again for your prayers, they mean so very much to us.

Today, Jonah is supposed to undergo a procedure. He will have a catheter inserted into a vein in his leg and a camera will go up to look inside his heart.

The Doctors find nothing wrong with Jonah’s lungs, therefore they think something may be wrong in the heart. They are looking for a cause as to why Jonah cannot breathe on his own.

We are grateful to the Lord for your prayers and support.

In Christ’s Love,

Marty

I am unsure as to the time this is being performed, but am asking you to join me in prayer for definitive answers and wise direction for the medical care of Little Jonah.

Prayer & Encouragement Needed Here

ellen5e — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 22:27:06 +0000

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

ellen5e — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 17:36:54 +0000

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.

Needing to Breathe

ellen5e — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 01:30:36 +0000

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.

Jonah: another Surgery

ellen5e — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 18:10:27 +0000

Jan. 14th, from the Silverburg’s, missionaries in Bronx, New York, regarding their critically ill, new born son, Jonah.

Dear Praying Family,
Jonah had a better day yesterday. He is losing the excess fluid and is scheduled to have his chest closed today around 1PM. Please pray that all would proceed well with no complications or setbacks.

Jonah is 17 days old already, PTL. Thank you again for supporting us thru this crisis thru prayer.

In Christ’s Love,
Marty for Val

Twitter messages are also coming in to show that Christians are praying and watching!

ellen5e.com » critical

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