It seems hard to believe that December is already here. Today is Daniel's birthday! We had a very full weekend. On Saturday morning, I had a brass quartet rehursal. Several years ago I asked the Lord for some others to play my trombone with. And this is the answer to that prayer. We are practicing a selection of Christmas hymns that we would like to play the night of the cantata here as we pass out invitations. The group is off to a good start! In the afternoon we got together with Lorenzo and Ana Maria and Maria Eugenia for a picnic. It was a nice informal afternoon spent together. The kids had a lot of fun together as we hiked up to the castle in Petrer.
On Sunday morning we met together early to celebrate the Lord's supper. It was a special time as we prayed and read the scriptures together and then joined in partaking of the elements. Then in our service I preached from the final "I am" passage in the series: I am the resurrection. I looked at Martha's expression of her faith in John 11, and how Jesus gently encouraged her to deepen that faith by seeing that the resurrection is not something that just will happen: it is intimately related to the person of Christ. If in the other images we see Christ as Savior and Sanctifier, here we see Him involved in the process of glorification. After the service we all traveled down to Alicante for lunch and an all afternoon rehearsal for the cantata. And then we stayed there for the evening service.
Monday, December 03, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
November 20-26
On Monday I went and spent some special time with Lorenzo and Ana Maria. They are encouraged to trust in the Lord. I am excited to see their faith, but it is certainly not easy for them. They are fighting with the feeling that God brought them this far just to drop them unexpectedly. The truth is, I have seen enough in my own life in the past few years to be able to assure them that God has not dropped them. They will come out of this strengthened in their faith if they will just trust.
On Wednesday we celebrated Thanksgiving. I have a heavy teaching load on Thursdays, so it was better for us to celebrate early. We had 13 guests at the house, so that made for a very exciting day, especially since 11 of the 18 gathered were children! We had a wonderful meal and then a good time of singing and sharing our gratefulness.
On Saturday we had a special meal: Luciana, who worked with Lorenzo and Ana Maria up in Gandia several years ago, came down for a visit. Also, Ruben Pineda, the Mexican professor who is here working on his doctorate, will be going back to Mexico next week, so he came and ate with us. We spent the evening with Juan and Cristina from Alicante. It was a very full day, but a wonderful blessing to be with other believers.
We had a good service on Sunday. A family came up from Alicante to encourage us. Maria Eugenia and Sergio were not here for the weekend because it was her daughter's birthday, so they spent the weekend in Torrevieja, about 45 min. away. I preached the second to the last sermon in my "I am" series. I preached about Christ as the vine and the importance of our bearing fruit. In the evening I preached the last service of the 20th anniversary service in Alicante.
On Wednesday we celebrated Thanksgiving. I have a heavy teaching load on Thursdays, so it was better for us to celebrate early. We had 13 guests at the house, so that made for a very exciting day, especially since 11 of the 18 gathered were children! We had a wonderful meal and then a good time of singing and sharing our gratefulness.
On Saturday we had a special meal: Luciana, who worked with Lorenzo and Ana Maria up in Gandia several years ago, came down for a visit. Also, Ruben Pineda, the Mexican professor who is here working on his doctorate, will be going back to Mexico next week, so he came and ate with us. We spent the evening with Juan and Cristina from Alicante. It was a very full day, but a wonderful blessing to be with other believers.
We had a good service on Sunday. A family came up from Alicante to encourage us. Maria Eugenia and Sergio were not here for the weekend because it was her daughter's birthday, so they spent the weekend in Torrevieja, about 45 min. away. I preached the second to the last sermon in my "I am" series. I preached about Christ as the vine and the importance of our bearing fruit. In the evening I preached the last service of the 20th anniversary service in Alicante.
November 13-19
The big event of the week was a special prayer meeting in the Madrid area for men. It began on Friday evening, but I had to teach a class. So as soon as I finished (around 8:00), Maribel and I jumped in the car and headed out for Madrid. We ended up giving Ana Maria's brother a ride, since he lives in Madrid and was going to take the bus. On the trip I had a good opportunity to witness to him very clearly. I trust that the Lord will touch his heart and bring him to a point of repentance. The meetings in Madrid were a blessing. I preached on Saturday, but being able to spend time in prayer and fellowship with other men in the ministry was a special blessing. I preached a message about Jehu, the only king of Israel that really seemed to want to follow the Lord. I looked at his mission, his motivation and his methods. He did not follow the Lord whole-heartedly in those three areas. But those are the same areas that we need to examine in our own lives.
On Sunday morning we stayed in Alcalá and I preached there in the church. Back in Petrer, Lorenzo and Ana Maria met with Maria Eugenia and Sergio. I had recorded a sermon for them, so they spent some time in prayer and praise and then listened to the sermon. They all said that the service had gone very well. On Sunday afternoon, Maribel and I traveled back to Petrer, and in the evening we met together for a special time. It turns out that Lorenzo's boss decided that he did not have work for Lorenzo after only two weeks of being here. This was a huge blow to them, as you can imagine. But they are determined to trust in the Lord.
On Sunday morning we stayed in Alcalá and I preached there in the church. Back in Petrer, Lorenzo and Ana Maria met with Maria Eugenia and Sergio. I had recorded a sermon for them, so they spent some time in prayer and praise and then listened to the sermon. They all said that the service had gone very well. On Sunday afternoon, Maribel and I traveled back to Petrer, and in the evening we met together for a special time. It turns out that Lorenzo's boss decided that he did not have work for Lorenzo after only two weeks of being here. This was a huge blow to them, as you can imagine. But they are determined to trust in the Lord.
November 6-12
On Saturday we ate lunch with a family in Alicante. Then in the evening we participated in the special anniversary service in Alicante. Lorenzo and I played another duet. On Sunday I preached about Christ as the good Shepherd. I compared it to Psalm 23 from the week before: here the shepherd not only protects and guides, but also he knows the sheep and is known by them. This relational aspect (intimate) is what makes this figure so special. We can enjoy a personal relationship with Christ.
October 30-November 5
We had a few holidays this week, so it was not a "normal" week. Lorenzo and Ana Maria finished their move on Wednesday. I picked them up in Alicante with the rest of their things left over from the move on Saturday and brought them up to Elda. It is exciting for us to see them living here. The Lord is good! On Wednesday night we had a few other friends over with kids the same age as ours. It was like a huge slumber party for kids and adults. The kids had a ball, and we grown ups enjoyed the time as well. We watched two Christian movies with them and were able to go out for a picnic up on the mountain.
There are special meetings in Alicante this month for the 20th anniversary of the church. On Saturday night they had a concert of sacred music. Lorenzo and I played a duet (baritone-trombone). It was a blessing to see the young people from Elche and Alicante participate in the music. Yesterday here in Petrer we celebrated the Lord's table. We had one slight interruption. On her way to church, Maria Eugenia met a girl who asked her about her Bible. So she brought her to church! She seems to be on rather heavy medication, and she kept asking if she could talk to me throughout communion. Finally, when it was time to partake of the elements, I took her aside and talked with her. Please pray that the Lord will do a work in Maricarmen's life. We had a special speaker for our worship service. Ruben Pineda is the Mexican gentleman that I have mentioned a few times in the past. He came here to work on a doctorate in Biology two years ago. He and his family were very faithful in the church during their year here. He is now back to present the first stage of his research. So we asked him to come up and spend the day with us and preach. He spoke about Peter's walking on water, encouraging us to trust the Lord even when we find ourselves in difficult situations.
There are special meetings in Alicante this month for the 20th anniversary of the church. On Saturday night they had a concert of sacred music. Lorenzo and I played a duet (baritone-trombone). It was a blessing to see the young people from Elche and Alicante participate in the music. Yesterday here in Petrer we celebrated the Lord's table. We had one slight interruption. On her way to church, Maria Eugenia met a girl who asked her about her Bible. So she brought her to church! She seems to be on rather heavy medication, and she kept asking if she could talk to me throughout communion. Finally, when it was time to partake of the elements, I took her aside and talked with her. Please pray that the Lord will do a work in Maricarmen's life. We had a special speaker for our worship service. Ruben Pineda is the Mexican gentleman that I have mentioned a few times in the past. He came here to work on a doctorate in Biology two years ago. He and his family were very faithful in the church during their year here. He is now back to present the first stage of his research. So we asked him to come up and spend the day with us and preach. He spoke about Peter's walking on water, encouraging us to trust the Lord even when we find ourselves in difficult situations.
Monday, October 29, 2007
October 23-29
On Saturday we helped Lorenzo and Ana Maria with their move. They are renting a flat about a 5 minutes' walk from our house. The flat is very nice and has good size rooms. The place they were living in Alicante had a very small living room/dining room. It was impossible to do Bible studies there, but this place can comfortably accommodate more people. I trust that some day we will be able to have a Bible study at their house. It was also a busy weekend because Maria Eugenia had to go to Torrevieja to be with her daughter who will be operated on. She left Sergio with us for a few days. The Lord is working here to put together the beginnings of a congregation. We are excited to see how the Lord will continue to build on this core.
On Sunday I preached another message in my series of Christ's "I am" teachings. This Sunday we began to look at Christ as the Shepherd. To set the background, we looked at Psalm 23. There we find that Jehovah God is our shepherd because he supplies our needs, leads us and protects us. These points of comparison are important then in the way Jesus uses the image of the shepherd. We had good attendance because besides our normal group we had the Abellan family visiting with us from Elche. It was a wonderful weekend spent with God's people.
On Sunday I preached another message in my series of Christ's "I am" teachings. This Sunday we began to look at Christ as the Shepherd. To set the background, we looked at Psalm 23. There we find that Jehovah God is our shepherd because he supplies our needs, leads us and protects us. These points of comparison are important then in the way Jesus uses the image of the shepherd. We had good attendance because besides our normal group we had the Abellan family visiting with us from Elche. It was a wonderful weekend spent with God's people.
October 16-22
One of the big highlights this week was the renewal of vows by a couple in Alicante who celebrated 45 years of marriage. They asked if we could organize a "wedding" for them to renew their vows before family and friends. It was a blessing from the beginning to see their desire to be a testimony to many of their unsaved friends, and there were many first time visitors at church on Saturday night for the ceremony. They asked me to preach the message, so I preached about marriage and presented the gospel. One unsaved man commented that he was interested in reading more of the Bible. It was a beautiful evening to celebrate with this couple.
We had a good service this week. We had two families from Alicante come up to encourage us this weekend. I preached another sermon in my series about Christ's "I am" teachings. This week I spoke about the fact that Christ is the gate to the sheepfold. We have been practicing every Sunday for a Christmas cantata that we will be singing in along with the Elche and Alicante churches. I was especially happy that this week Maria Eugenia asked if she could sing as well. It is great that she is getting involved!
We had a good service this week. We had two families from Alicante come up to encourage us this weekend. I preached another sermon in my series about Christ's "I am" teachings. This week I spoke about the fact that Christ is the gate to the sheepfold. We have been practicing every Sunday for a Christmas cantata that we will be singing in along with the Elche and Alicante churches. I was especially happy that this week Maria Eugenia asked if she could sing as well. It is great that she is getting involved!
Monday, October 15, 2007
October 9-15
We were able to spend some time passing out tracts this weekend. Some of the young people from Alicante came up and helped out as well. It was, however, one of the hardest evenings I have ever experienced. In the past, if people have not been open, they have at least not been closed and hostile. Many have been very friendly, but that is not what we experienced the other night! I thought it was just where I was, but when we got back to the house, everyone seemed a bit rattled. But we were able to give the gospel to a few, and we continue to pray for the Lord to work in hearts. Sergio and I had our Bible study this week. David sat in on it too. I am pleased with Sergio's attitude in the studies. He seems to be learning. He claims to be saved, but I know that he has not had a lot of teaching. Lorenzo and Ana Maria put down a deposit for an apartment here. They will be moving in two weeks. It is wonderful to see how God continues to open doors for them.
Our service yesterday morning went very well. I preached my second sermon in the "I am" series. I spoke from John 9 about Christ as the light of the world. He illumines us (John 1.9) and then sends us out into the world to be light! After the sermon we had a short discussion time which went well. And there was a good spirit of participation as well.
Our service yesterday morning went very well. I preached my second sermon in the "I am" series. I spoke from John 9 about Christ as the light of the world. He illumines us (John 1.9) and then sends us out into the world to be light! After the sermon we had a short discussion time which went well. And there was a good spirit of participation as well.
Monday, October 08, 2007
October 1-8
This week I continued my Bible study with Sergio. Lorenzo and Ana Maria came up on Friday evening again and spent hours walking around town looking for an apartment to rent. At the end of the morning on Saturday, they finally found a place they liked that fits into their budget! Everything seems to be set for them to make the move at the end of the month. Saturday was a busy day for us. I caught the early bus down to Elche for a mens' prayer breakfast, and Maribel took the kids to Alicante for the children's club (after David's first soccer game!). In the afternoon we were able to have some nice family time together with Lorenzo's family as well.
Yesterday I began a new series of sermons. I will be preaching through the 7 "I am" statements in John's gospel. In the morning I preached about Christ as the Way, the only, true path to life. In the evening we went down to Elche for choir practice and the service. There I preached about John 8 when Jesus told the pharisees, "before Abraham was, I am." I made a strong emphasis on the gospel, as well as applying the passage to believers. After the service I found out that one of the ladies had brought a visitor who just left the Jehovah's witnesses. It was his first time in church! I know that God obviously worked to put that passage on my heart for that special occasion!
David's soccer game on Saturday morning was his first game with the team. He was thrilled with the game, but especially happy because he was able to score a goal!
Yesterday I began a new series of sermons. I will be preaching through the 7 "I am" statements in John's gospel. In the morning I preached about Christ as the Way, the only, true path to life. In the evening we went down to Elche for choir practice and the service. There I preached about John 8 when Jesus told the pharisees, "before Abraham was, I am." I made a strong emphasis on the gospel, as well as applying the passage to believers. After the service I found out that one of the ladies had brought a visitor who just left the Jehovah's witnesses. It was his first time in church! I know that God obviously worked to put that passage on my heart for that special occasion!
David's soccer game on Saturday morning was his first game with the team. He was thrilled with the game, but especially happy because he was able to score a goal!
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Bible Institute meal
These are the students from Bible Institute who came to our house for a meal to kick off the new year of classes.
9 years in Spain!
This is my family on the day, nine years ago when we moved to Spain. I feel a bit like Jacob. We came almost empty handed and the Lord has blessed us in so many ways that it is impossible to number them all.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
September 24-30
This past week I began a Bible study with Sergio, the 12 year-old son of Maríá Eugenia. I was not too sure if he was very excited about the study, but his mother mentioned that he made some positive comments about the study to her! I want to take advantage of this situation, and work with him as much as we can. He has been coming over to our house several times a week to play with the kids.
This weekend was an exciting time for our little body of believers. Lorenzo and Ana María have been praying about moving here. Lorenzo made a few phone calls several weeks ago, but it seemed that nobody needed workers. Then, last week he got a call from a different business. They told him that they had heard a lot of good things about him and wanted him to come for an interview. At first he wondered if we had given someone his phone number, but it was obviously the Lord's doing! He went for the interview on Saturday morning, and it looks like he will start work here just as soon as he can bring his family up. They are hoping that by the end of the month of October they can be living up here. It is such a blessing to see their faith and how God is working out one detail after another.
On Sunday morning I finished up my series on Ecclesiastes. The sermon was a general overview of the book and all of the lessons we have been learning throughout this series. Unfortunately, Maria Eugenia was not able to be there, but we were able to go and spend several hours with her in her home on Sunday afternoon. We had a good time of prayer with her. Her situation with her husband continues to be difficult, but she is trusting in the Lord to bring her through.
This weekend was an exciting time for our little body of believers. Lorenzo and Ana María have been praying about moving here. Lorenzo made a few phone calls several weeks ago, but it seemed that nobody needed workers. Then, last week he got a call from a different business. They told him that they had heard a lot of good things about him and wanted him to come for an interview. At first he wondered if we had given someone his phone number, but it was obviously the Lord's doing! He went for the interview on Saturday morning, and it looks like he will start work here just as soon as he can bring his family up. They are hoping that by the end of the month of October they can be living up here. It is such a blessing to see their faith and how God is working out one detail after another.
On Sunday morning I finished up my series on Ecclesiastes. The sermon was a general overview of the book and all of the lessons we have been learning throughout this series. Unfortunately, Maria Eugenia was not able to be there, but we were able to go and spend several hours with her in her home on Sunday afternoon. We had a good time of prayer with her. Her situation with her husband continues to be difficult, but she is trusting in the Lord to bring her through.
Monday, September 24, 2007
September 18-24
We are starting to fall into the schedule of the academic year which means that we are ready to start up another year of Bible Institute. On Friday we invited all the students from last year and those signed up for this year to our house for a party. It was a blessing to see some new students this year. I was especially pleased to be able to announce three students who have finished their second certificate of Bible studies. They have completed more than 350 hours of studies. This year Mike Dodgens will be teaching counseling, Dennis Flower will be teaching Church History, and then I will finish out the year with the second year of NT Introduction.
Yesterday we had a good service here in Petrer. Lorenzo and Ana Maria were up, and Maria Eugenia came. She didn't bring her son Sergio with her. I want to start having Bible studies with Sergio. He has just started high school here and could use some good encouragement. I preached another message in my series on Ecclesiastes. I preached from chapter 11 about giving liberally and industriousness. I made the application to our personal witness. We need to work hard at giving the gospel to all we can. We are looking forward to some new evangelistic efforts this month as a church, but I want individuals to feel the importance of witnessing too.
Yesterday we had a good service here in Petrer. Lorenzo and Ana Maria were up, and Maria Eugenia came. She didn't bring her son Sergio with her. I want to start having Bible studies with Sergio. He has just started high school here and could use some good encouragement. I preached another message in my series on Ecclesiastes. I preached from chapter 11 about giving liberally and industriousness. I made the application to our personal witness. We need to work hard at giving the gospel to all we can. We are looking forward to some new evangelistic efforts this month as a church, but I want individuals to feel the importance of witnessing too.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
September 10-17
The big activity of this week was my trip up to northern Spain to teach an intensive Bible institute on the book of Ezekiel. In the end, Maribel and the kids had to stay home, so I rode the bus up. The Lord gave me a good weekend as I shared the teaching from this special book with the believers there. I taught five sessions all day Saturday on the book. Many commented that they were looking forward to reading the book again, now that they understood it a little bit better. On Sunday I preached once again from Ezekiel in the church in Beasain, and then in the evening I caught the bus back home. The weekend was also very special because of the times of fellowship with the Bonikowskies and other missionaries there.
Here in Petrer, the service went very well, too. I invited Josué Cerdán from the church in Alicante to come up and preach. Lorenzo and Ana María were here, as well as Maria Eugenia and her son Sergio. But it turns out that my sister and brother-in-law came as well as Josué's parents and brother. In all, there almost 20 people at the service, by far the biggest attendance we have ever had!
On Friday when I called Maribel, she informed me that they had had a huge hail storm. When I got home, they showed me some of the balls of ice which they had stored in the freezer to show me. They were by far the largest hail stones I had ever seen. Unfortunately it did some damage to our gutters, as well as the car.
Here in Petrer, the service went very well, too. I invited Josué Cerdán from the church in Alicante to come up and preach. Lorenzo and Ana María were here, as well as Maria Eugenia and her son Sergio. But it turns out that my sister and brother-in-law came as well as Josué's parents and brother. In all, there almost 20 people at the service, by far the biggest attendance we have ever had!
On Friday when I called Maribel, she informed me that they had had a huge hail storm. When I got home, they showed me some of the balls of ice which they had stored in the freezer to show me. They were by far the largest hail stones I had ever seen. Unfortunately it did some damage to our gutters, as well as the car.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Dedication
We invited the church in Alicante to some up to Petrer to participate in a special service of dedication for the work here.
August 27-September 9
The last two weeks came to a climax on Sunday morning. Let me explain. Two weeks ago, after our Sunday morning service, Lorenzo talked to me again about baptism. He and Ana Maria had asked about the subject before, but at that moment I was not in any position to do more than take them through several passages to explain to them what Biblical baptism is all about. Now, however, with their ever increasing commitment to the work here in Petrer, I felt that it was the time for them to be baptised. We were able to coordinate it with an event that I had wanted to have for some time. We invited the entire church from Alicante to come up on Saturday night. Lorenzo and Ana Maria gave their testimonies, and then I had the privilege of baptising them before more than 35 people. Then we had a special service of dedication for the work here. Jose Bernabeu preached a message, and then Flay Allen led a time of prayer for God's blessing upon the work. On Sunday morning in our service, Lorenzo and Ana Maria participated in the Lord's supper for the first time (and our first time here in Petrer). Maria Eugenia was able to come with her son. Maribel's aunt and uncle (both unsaved) even visited us that morning and witnessed our communion service. We praise the Lord for these experiences. These are special days as we hold these intimate services with this tiny body of believers in whom the Lord is working.
Last week Mike Dodgens came up one evening, and we were able to spend some time out in a park witnessing. We continued our survey about the Bible, and once again the Lord opened doors for us to share the gospel very clearly. I was particularly excited about some of these very personal conversations now that we live here. In fact, the other day, Maribel noticed two older ladies who walked by our house, stopped, and pointed. I suspect that they were two ladies I spoke with in the park. I mentioned that we were meeting with believers in our house, and that seemed to catch their attention. In a culture where the church is so cold and formalistic, many seem surprised by something as natural as true believers meeting together in a house to worship the Lord together. We pray that God would continue to work in hearts and raise up true believers who worship Him in spirit and in truth.
Last week Mike Dodgens came up one evening, and we were able to spend some time out in a park witnessing. We continued our survey about the Bible, and once again the Lord opened doors for us to share the gospel very clearly. I was particularly excited about some of these very personal conversations now that we live here. In fact, the other day, Maribel noticed two older ladies who walked by our house, stopped, and pointed. I suspect that they were two ladies I spoke with in the park. I mentioned that we were meeting with believers in our house, and that seemed to catch their attention. In a culture where the church is so cold and formalistic, many seem surprised by something as natural as true believers meeting together in a house to worship the Lord together. We pray that God would continue to work in hearts and raise up true believers who worship Him in spirit and in truth.
Monday, August 27, 2007
August 20-26
This week we went up to a family camp in Guadalajara. The kids really enjoyed the time with other children, and it was a blessing for us to share with other Christians. The theme of the week was placing your eyes on Jesus. I taught one of the morning classes on the theme of dealing with disillusion. I appreciated the opportunity to preach, but most of all, I needed that study for myself! There have been several situations which have been difficult for me to take. I worked from the passage about Elijah in 1 Kings 19 to talk about how the vision of faith can carry us through those low moments when it seems like nothing makes sense.
Our service this morning went well. Lorenzo and Ana María were here, along with Luciana, a lady who worked with them when they lived in Gandía. I preached from Ecclesiastes 7 about the balance in life that a correct attitude towards the Lord brings. In the evening we attended the service in Alicante. Lorenzo and I rode the bus down since we did not all fit in the car. It was a blessing to be able to talk with him more. He feels very clearly that God wants them to serve here in Petrer and help us begin this work. They are continuing to look for a house and work in this area. He also told me that they would like to be baptized. We have talked before about this topic, but now seems to be the right time. Lord willing we will be having a baptismal service sometime within the next two weeks!
Our service this morning went well. Lorenzo and Ana María were here, along with Luciana, a lady who worked with them when they lived in Gandía. I preached from Ecclesiastes 7 about the balance in life that a correct attitude towards the Lord brings. In the evening we attended the service in Alicante. Lorenzo and I rode the bus down since we did not all fit in the car. It was a blessing to be able to talk with him more. He feels very clearly that God wants them to serve here in Petrer and help us begin this work. They are continuing to look for a house and work in this area. He also told me that they would like to be baptized. We have talked before about this topic, but now seems to be the right time. Lord willing we will be having a baptismal service sometime within the next two weeks!
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Heart Surgery
This is one day after open heart surgery to replace a valve and a section of the aorta.
A Heart Story of God's Love
In January, 2007 I went to see my cardiologist for a routine visit. For the last several years, I have been ever six months so that he can monitor the degeneration of my congenital heart valve problem. My visit in January was not much different other times. As on previous occasions, he informed me that my condition was slightly worse than the last visit, but he asked me to have an ultrasound at the hospital to get a second opinion and to be able to make more precise measurements of the valve and the aorta. The hospital called me to schedule the appointment for March 15th.
Thursday, March 15th began like any other day. At noon I went in to the hospital for the ultrasound. The actual ultrasound was very normal; however, when the doctor finished, he turned to me and told me point blank that I was in pretty bad shape. The diameter of my aorta was within the risk zone. It had been stretched to the point that it was in danger of rupture. He told me that I needed surgery soon. The following morning, my heart specialist called me at home to let me know that he was going to be talking to the surgeons that morning and would try to schedule the surgery for as soon as possible. I assumed that there would be a significant amount of time between the diagnosis and the surgery, but he suggested that it would be best to have the surgery within a month's time. He sent me immediately to begin all of the tests that would be necessary before the operation and scheduled me to talk to the surgeon two weeks from that Friday. The next two weeks were very difficult weeks. We had just purchased a house in Petrer and were trying to paint so that we could move over the Easter holiday. All of the sudden, all of our planning came to a screeching halt. But until I talked to the surgeon to find out the date that he was planning on, I didn't want to tell everybody.
Finally, Friday, March 30 rolled around. I was ready to talk to my surgeon. I had downloaded and watched a live video of the operation that I would be having. I had done some reading up about the surgery and the recovery and was ready with all of my questions. What I was not ready for was the date! My doctor, complaining that he had not received the results of my CAT scans yet, turned to the nurse and asked, "How am I supposed to operate on Monday if I don't even have the CAT scans yet?" I reluctantly asked him which Monday he was talking about, and he informed me that he was talking about that Monday, in three days. He sat down with us and explained the procedure to us and all of the risks involved. A bypass, he told us, was a bit easier: the heart would be stopped for 15 to 30 minutes. A normal valve replacement would mean stopping the heart between 30 minutes and one hour. But since they had to replace the section of my aorta which had been stretched (and that involved fooling with the coronary arteries), my heart would be stopped anywhere from one hour to an hour and a half. There was always a danger that for some reason my heart would not start back up or that some of the other organs could shut down since the heart was not functioning. My only thought was that I was completely in the Lord's hands. The surgeon was very confident about his part of the surgery. The major risk was out of man's hands. And so they then scheduled me to come in on Sunday morning. I managed to get permission to sing in the Easter cantata at church on Sunday morning as long as I made it to the hospital by 1:00. So I spent my Sunday morning in church and Sunday afternoon preparing for open heart surgery. I wrote two letters to my wife, only one of which would be read. But I wanted to be prepared for the worst. And the Lord gave me a peace about what would happen the next day. I did not feel an absolute confidence that I would come through the surgery without problems. But I was ready to accept whatever the Lord had in store for me. Psalm 23:5 was a great comfort to me: I could count on God's presence, even in the valley of the shadow of death.
Nearly Perfect Surgery
Monday, April 2 began early with all the preparations for surgery. By 8:30 I was in the operating room with the anesthesiologist. My next memory was a strange sensation that I couldn't open my eyes or breath. And then I opened my eyes and saw my wife and my surgeon (and a student of mine who works in post-op). The doctor later informed me that my heart was stopped for 71 minutes while they worked on the valve and the aorta. They found that the portion of the aorta that was stretched out was above the coronaries so they were able to save some time and not have to re-implant the coronaries in the synthetic aorta. Everything had gone better than planned. Monday and Tuesday were full of discomfort and, at times, pain. The worst part was probably the severed sternum. Any movement in my upper body, including breathing, was painful. After slightly more than 24 hours, they moved me back up to a normal room to continue my recovery there. By the following day, my doctor got me out of bed for the first time, and I took my first steps. Everything was exhausting at that point. I remember feeling completely worn out after eating a bowl of soup. Sleeping was complicated by the fact that I had to lie on my back, and the plasticized mattress cover made me to sweat a lot. But every test I had seemed to indicate that I was experiencing a better-than-normal recovery. On Saturday, my surgeon offered to let me go home one day early, but I decided to stay the full week and go home after they had changed my bandages the next morning. When I arrived home on Sunday afternoon, I felt decent. It was just nice to be back home after what had seemed (at that time) like a long time in the hospital.
On Monday afternoon we learned that Vicente, a dear man from our congregation, had gone home to be with the Lord that morning. Maribel and I ended up going to the funeral home that afternoon and plans were made for the funeral the following morning. And so, on Tuesday, a week and a day after my surgery, I stood up before a group of mostly unsaved family and friends and preached a funeral message. But for as much as people told me that I looked great, I did not feel great. Every night that week I woke up in a cold sweat. And my temperature was almost constantly slightly higher than normal. However, my doctor had told me that a low fever was normal, especially in younger patients. He had told me not to worry about it as long as it was not a high fever. Finally, after nine days at home, my temperature started to rise, so we returned to the hospital for what I assumed would be a little bit of blood work.
Complications
I realized how wrong I was when the nurse brought me my pajamas, the uniform I would wear every day for the next 51 days! A new doctor explained to me how serious my situation was. The fact that there was no apparent reason for the fever which I had been experiencing over the last week and a half led them to assume that I had an infection in my blood stream which was attacking the new heart valve, and since the valve was made of non-organic material, the body was not defending it. I began an aggressive antibiotic treatment immediately, and over the next few days the doctors began to eliminate other possible causes for my fever. During one of the tests, the same doctor who had seen me just a month earlier when all of this began examined my new valve with an ultrasound, and then asked me a question which really surprised me. "Did they tell you that your valve has a slight leak?" Of course they hadn't told me anything like that. When I went home everything was in perfect shape. "Well," he continued, "you've got a leak now, and there appear to be small nodules on the valve's outer ring." My surgeon came to visit me immediately when he received the results. It was the worst possible news. The nodules appeared to be the encrustation of the infection, and the leak meant that something had already destroyed enough of the valve that there was a slight flow of blood around the valve instead of through it. Everything was still pretty sketchy, but they had the first solid evidence for a plausible cause for my fever. At that point I was still upset about the thought of having to spend more time in the hospital, and I feared that this might mean I would have to spend all six weeks that the antibiotic treatment would take. The surgeon, however, informed me that there was little to no hope that the antibiotics would do anything to kill the infection that was already attacking the valve. Since it had already encrusted itself on the valve, the antibiotics would not be effective. The only solution was to repeat the operation. The following day, another doctor discovered an abnormality in my right eye. The diagnosis was that microscopic pieces from the valve had flowed through the blood stream and formed a clot in the tiny blood vessels in the back of the eye. When my doctor came to see me on Wednesday, he was no longer tentative. I had an endocarditis, and the only solution was to operate. He had already cleared a slot for me the following Thursday in the operating room and was ready to perform the surgery again. I asked him if there was not another option, but he told me that it was the only way. What was more, he informed me that this operation was much more complicated and dangerous than the first. In that operation, they had been dealing with a strong heart with a valve problem. Now, however, they would be operating on a heart that had just been through major trauma, with the added complication that the area around the valve had been under attack by a virus. The risk factor was now six times higher. And if we waited any longer it could jump to double that.
That was a very low moment for us. It was very hard to understand why God had allowed me to come through the first surgery just to go through it all again. At that moment, some 25 days after open heart surgery, I felt that I did not have the strength to go through it again. I was sure that if I had to go back into the operating room, I would not come out alive. I told a friend that night, that I saw only two options for myself: I could get bitter at God for allowing me to go through a situation that was really unfair, or I could accept this too as part of his "good and perfect" plan for my life (James 1:17). I knew the second was the only option that could really help me, but it was strangely difficult to accept. I also had to realize that when I gave my life to the Lord years ago, submitting myself to His will, it was not just for that which I approved of. My surrender was for whatever God wanted to do with my life. And now, if He had a purpose in taking me to heaven "early", even though it seemed that it would have been easier in the first operation, I had to accept that as part of His plan. Maribel and I cried and claimed the victory. We knew once again that we were in the Lord's hands.
God's doings
But that is when things started to change! Friday I suffered through another ultrasound, this time from inside the esophagus (yes, swallowing that wand was not comfortable). The same doctor who had done my other two ultrasounds spent 15 minutes examining the valve from every possible angle (even from within the stomach looking back up toward the heart) and finally gave the verdict: no infection. I almost skipped back to my room (even though I was far from being able to skip, physically speaking!). And then came my surgeon with the best news: no operation! God had answered our prayers. Just two days before, my surgeon had assured me that surgery was the only option; the same man was now standing in front of me, telling me that I no longer needed the operation. The slight leak was still there, but it was not a problem as long as the infection was not continuing to eat away at the valve.
The only bad news was that I would have to finish out the six week antibiotic treatment that I had already started. But compared to going through the surgery again, six weeks in the hospital was nothing. In fact, there was even the possibility that I could go home and finish my antibiotics at home. As the weeks dragged on, however, and I could not go home because of a conflict between the antibiotics and the anticoagulant, it became harder and harder for me to stay in the hospital. One of the most difficult things was when the kids came to visit and I began to realize that after spending so much time away from them, I was no longer the same part of their lives that I had always been. I felt like I was just a person they visited, but I was no longer their daddy. But the hospital was full of other opportunities for me. I was able to read quite a bit, and the Lord gave me many opportunities to be a witness and a testimony for Him.
Coming Down the Final Stretch
Finally, Wednesday May 30th came when I received my last antibiotic treatment through the i.v. All that was left at that point was for the oral anticoagulant I had been taking for weeks (the one that was canceled out by the antibiotics) to start taking effect so that they could unplug me from the anticoagulant i.v. My doctor promised me that I would be home by the weekend. But it did not happen. On Sunday, however, my levels were slightly better so they disconnected me for two hours and let me leave the hospital with Maribel and the kids. But after two hours I was back and hooked up again. But that time was so special. I cannot describe the emotions I felt to wear something other than pajamas, feel the sun on my skin again, and best of all, spend time with my family outside of the hospital! Back in the hospital though time kept dragging on. And then came the big scare again. On Wednesday night I felt my temperature rising. It was the first time I had had a fever since late April when the antibiotics had kicked in and controlled the fever that had returned me to the hospital. That night I lay in my bed shivering and thinking about what this would mean. Many days when my doctor had come to see me, she had asked me if I had had a fever. That could be the sign that the infection had hidden somewhere in my body, and now it was back. That night I cried again as I prayed to the Lord. Could it be that I would still have to face that surgery? When my doctor came to see me in the morning, I asked if this meant more time in the hospital and more antibiotics. "No," she told me. "If the antibiotics didn't kill it before, they won't work now." But the Lord did not leave me in that valley for long. As it turned out, it seemed to be an infection of the i.v. They moved the i.v. to the other arm, and the fever never returned. In fact, on Thursday June 7th, my anticoagulant levels came into range and they sent me home.
Conclusion
"Why did all this happen to you?" is a question that some have asked (and perhaps many have thought). And to be truthful, I asked it as well. All I can say is that God is much greater than we are. We tend to think in terms of a single purpose, but of course God can control a much greater area than we can imagine. I suspect that God did not have one single purpose in this whole situation. Rather, God was doing multiple things in many lives. I know in my own life He did many things. There is nothing like having to face death to remind us how to live. There were also lessons of faith and surrender. I was reminded like never before that my life was not my own. And I was tested, as I had not been in years, about whether or not I would accept God's will no matter what. God gave me the opportunity to witness to many people through this situation. I even had many special opportunities with believers. Several church people opened up to me about problems, and I was able to give Biblical counsel from my hospital bed. But I know that God has done and is doing things that are beyond what I can even imagine. All I can say is that God is truly good, and I praise Him for His infinite love that never abandoned me.
David Bell, Petrer, Spain 2007
Thursday, March 15th began like any other day. At noon I went in to the hospital for the ultrasound. The actual ultrasound was very normal; however, when the doctor finished, he turned to me and told me point blank that I was in pretty bad shape. The diameter of my aorta was within the risk zone. It had been stretched to the point that it was in danger of rupture. He told me that I needed surgery soon. The following morning, my heart specialist called me at home to let me know that he was going to be talking to the surgeons that morning and would try to schedule the surgery for as soon as possible. I assumed that there would be a significant amount of time between the diagnosis and the surgery, but he suggested that it would be best to have the surgery within a month's time. He sent me immediately to begin all of the tests that would be necessary before the operation and scheduled me to talk to the surgeon two weeks from that Friday. The next two weeks were very difficult weeks. We had just purchased a house in Petrer and were trying to paint so that we could move over the Easter holiday. All of the sudden, all of our planning came to a screeching halt. But until I talked to the surgeon to find out the date that he was planning on, I didn't want to tell everybody.
Finally, Friday, March 30 rolled around. I was ready to talk to my surgeon. I had downloaded and watched a live video of the operation that I would be having. I had done some reading up about the surgery and the recovery and was ready with all of my questions. What I was not ready for was the date! My doctor, complaining that he had not received the results of my CAT scans yet, turned to the nurse and asked, "How am I supposed to operate on Monday if I don't even have the CAT scans yet?" I reluctantly asked him which Monday he was talking about, and he informed me that he was talking about that Monday, in three days. He sat down with us and explained the procedure to us and all of the risks involved. A bypass, he told us, was a bit easier: the heart would be stopped for 15 to 30 minutes. A normal valve replacement would mean stopping the heart between 30 minutes and one hour. But since they had to replace the section of my aorta which had been stretched (and that involved fooling with the coronary arteries), my heart would be stopped anywhere from one hour to an hour and a half. There was always a danger that for some reason my heart would not start back up or that some of the other organs could shut down since the heart was not functioning. My only thought was that I was completely in the Lord's hands. The surgeon was very confident about his part of the surgery. The major risk was out of man's hands. And so they then scheduled me to come in on Sunday morning. I managed to get permission to sing in the Easter cantata at church on Sunday morning as long as I made it to the hospital by 1:00. So I spent my Sunday morning in church and Sunday afternoon preparing for open heart surgery. I wrote two letters to my wife, only one of which would be read. But I wanted to be prepared for the worst. And the Lord gave me a peace about what would happen the next day. I did not feel an absolute confidence that I would come through the surgery without problems. But I was ready to accept whatever the Lord had in store for me. Psalm 23:5 was a great comfort to me: I could count on God's presence, even in the valley of the shadow of death.
Nearly Perfect Surgery
Monday, April 2 began early with all the preparations for surgery. By 8:30 I was in the operating room with the anesthesiologist. My next memory was a strange sensation that I couldn't open my eyes or breath. And then I opened my eyes and saw my wife and my surgeon (and a student of mine who works in post-op). The doctor later informed me that my heart was stopped for 71 minutes while they worked on the valve and the aorta. They found that the portion of the aorta that was stretched out was above the coronaries so they were able to save some time and not have to re-implant the coronaries in the synthetic aorta. Everything had gone better than planned. Monday and Tuesday were full of discomfort and, at times, pain. The worst part was probably the severed sternum. Any movement in my upper body, including breathing, was painful. After slightly more than 24 hours, they moved me back up to a normal room to continue my recovery there. By the following day, my doctor got me out of bed for the first time, and I took my first steps. Everything was exhausting at that point. I remember feeling completely worn out after eating a bowl of soup. Sleeping was complicated by the fact that I had to lie on my back, and the plasticized mattress cover made me to sweat a lot. But every test I had seemed to indicate that I was experiencing a better-than-normal recovery. On Saturday, my surgeon offered to let me go home one day early, but I decided to stay the full week and go home after they had changed my bandages the next morning. When I arrived home on Sunday afternoon, I felt decent. It was just nice to be back home after what had seemed (at that time) like a long time in the hospital.
On Monday afternoon we learned that Vicente, a dear man from our congregation, had gone home to be with the Lord that morning. Maribel and I ended up going to the funeral home that afternoon and plans were made for the funeral the following morning. And so, on Tuesday, a week and a day after my surgery, I stood up before a group of mostly unsaved family and friends and preached a funeral message. But for as much as people told me that I looked great, I did not feel great. Every night that week I woke up in a cold sweat. And my temperature was almost constantly slightly higher than normal. However, my doctor had told me that a low fever was normal, especially in younger patients. He had told me not to worry about it as long as it was not a high fever. Finally, after nine days at home, my temperature started to rise, so we returned to the hospital for what I assumed would be a little bit of blood work.
Complications
I realized how wrong I was when the nurse brought me my pajamas, the uniform I would wear every day for the next 51 days! A new doctor explained to me how serious my situation was. The fact that there was no apparent reason for the fever which I had been experiencing over the last week and a half led them to assume that I had an infection in my blood stream which was attacking the new heart valve, and since the valve was made of non-organic material, the body was not defending it. I began an aggressive antibiotic treatment immediately, and over the next few days the doctors began to eliminate other possible causes for my fever. During one of the tests, the same doctor who had seen me just a month earlier when all of this began examined my new valve with an ultrasound, and then asked me a question which really surprised me. "Did they tell you that your valve has a slight leak?" Of course they hadn't told me anything like that. When I went home everything was in perfect shape. "Well," he continued, "you've got a leak now, and there appear to be small nodules on the valve's outer ring." My surgeon came to visit me immediately when he received the results. It was the worst possible news. The nodules appeared to be the encrustation of the infection, and the leak meant that something had already destroyed enough of the valve that there was a slight flow of blood around the valve instead of through it. Everything was still pretty sketchy, but they had the first solid evidence for a plausible cause for my fever. At that point I was still upset about the thought of having to spend more time in the hospital, and I feared that this might mean I would have to spend all six weeks that the antibiotic treatment would take. The surgeon, however, informed me that there was little to no hope that the antibiotics would do anything to kill the infection that was already attacking the valve. Since it had already encrusted itself on the valve, the antibiotics would not be effective. The only solution was to repeat the operation. The following day, another doctor discovered an abnormality in my right eye. The diagnosis was that microscopic pieces from the valve had flowed through the blood stream and formed a clot in the tiny blood vessels in the back of the eye. When my doctor came to see me on Wednesday, he was no longer tentative. I had an endocarditis, and the only solution was to operate. He had already cleared a slot for me the following Thursday in the operating room and was ready to perform the surgery again. I asked him if there was not another option, but he told me that it was the only way. What was more, he informed me that this operation was much more complicated and dangerous than the first. In that operation, they had been dealing with a strong heart with a valve problem. Now, however, they would be operating on a heart that had just been through major trauma, with the added complication that the area around the valve had been under attack by a virus. The risk factor was now six times higher. And if we waited any longer it could jump to double that.
That was a very low moment for us. It was very hard to understand why God had allowed me to come through the first surgery just to go through it all again. At that moment, some 25 days after open heart surgery, I felt that I did not have the strength to go through it again. I was sure that if I had to go back into the operating room, I would not come out alive. I told a friend that night, that I saw only two options for myself: I could get bitter at God for allowing me to go through a situation that was really unfair, or I could accept this too as part of his "good and perfect" plan for my life (James 1:17). I knew the second was the only option that could really help me, but it was strangely difficult to accept. I also had to realize that when I gave my life to the Lord years ago, submitting myself to His will, it was not just for that which I approved of. My surrender was for whatever God wanted to do with my life. And now, if He had a purpose in taking me to heaven "early", even though it seemed that it would have been easier in the first operation, I had to accept that as part of His plan. Maribel and I cried and claimed the victory. We knew once again that we were in the Lord's hands.
God's doings
But that is when things started to change! Friday I suffered through another ultrasound, this time from inside the esophagus (yes, swallowing that wand was not comfortable). The same doctor who had done my other two ultrasounds spent 15 minutes examining the valve from every possible angle (even from within the stomach looking back up toward the heart) and finally gave the verdict: no infection. I almost skipped back to my room (even though I was far from being able to skip, physically speaking!). And then came my surgeon with the best news: no operation! God had answered our prayers. Just two days before, my surgeon had assured me that surgery was the only option; the same man was now standing in front of me, telling me that I no longer needed the operation. The slight leak was still there, but it was not a problem as long as the infection was not continuing to eat away at the valve.
The only bad news was that I would have to finish out the six week antibiotic treatment that I had already started. But compared to going through the surgery again, six weeks in the hospital was nothing. In fact, there was even the possibility that I could go home and finish my antibiotics at home. As the weeks dragged on, however, and I could not go home because of a conflict between the antibiotics and the anticoagulant, it became harder and harder for me to stay in the hospital. One of the most difficult things was when the kids came to visit and I began to realize that after spending so much time away from them, I was no longer the same part of their lives that I had always been. I felt like I was just a person they visited, but I was no longer their daddy. But the hospital was full of other opportunities for me. I was able to read quite a bit, and the Lord gave me many opportunities to be a witness and a testimony for Him.
Coming Down the Final Stretch
Finally, Wednesday May 30th came when I received my last antibiotic treatment through the i.v. All that was left at that point was for the oral anticoagulant I had been taking for weeks (the one that was canceled out by the antibiotics) to start taking effect so that they could unplug me from the anticoagulant i.v. My doctor promised me that I would be home by the weekend. But it did not happen. On Sunday, however, my levels were slightly better so they disconnected me for two hours and let me leave the hospital with Maribel and the kids. But after two hours I was back and hooked up again. But that time was so special. I cannot describe the emotions I felt to wear something other than pajamas, feel the sun on my skin again, and best of all, spend time with my family outside of the hospital! Back in the hospital though time kept dragging on. And then came the big scare again. On Wednesday night I felt my temperature rising. It was the first time I had had a fever since late April when the antibiotics had kicked in and controlled the fever that had returned me to the hospital. That night I lay in my bed shivering and thinking about what this would mean. Many days when my doctor had come to see me, she had asked me if I had had a fever. That could be the sign that the infection had hidden somewhere in my body, and now it was back. That night I cried again as I prayed to the Lord. Could it be that I would still have to face that surgery? When my doctor came to see me in the morning, I asked if this meant more time in the hospital and more antibiotics. "No," she told me. "If the antibiotics didn't kill it before, they won't work now." But the Lord did not leave me in that valley for long. As it turned out, it seemed to be an infection of the i.v. They moved the i.v. to the other arm, and the fever never returned. In fact, on Thursday June 7th, my anticoagulant levels came into range and they sent me home.
Conclusion
"Why did all this happen to you?" is a question that some have asked (and perhaps many have thought). And to be truthful, I asked it as well. All I can say is that God is much greater than we are. We tend to think in terms of a single purpose, but of course God can control a much greater area than we can imagine. I suspect that God did not have one single purpose in this whole situation. Rather, God was doing multiple things in many lives. I know in my own life He did many things. There is nothing like having to face death to remind us how to live. There were also lessons of faith and surrender. I was reminded like never before that my life was not my own. And I was tested, as I had not been in years, about whether or not I would accept God's will no matter what. God gave me the opportunity to witness to many people through this situation. I even had many special opportunities with believers. Several church people opened up to me about problems, and I was able to give Biblical counsel from my hospital bed. But I know that God has done and is doing things that are beyond what I can even imagine. All I can say is that God is truly good, and I praise Him for His infinite love that never abandoned me.
David Bell, Petrer, Spain 2007
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