| “On Friday, August 16, BletJaw and I walked back into BYT from Sunshine Orchard School. There was nothing unusual about the walk. The route we use is a 6 1/2 hours hike, but this time someone drove us to the end of the concrete part of the road so we only walked 4 ½ hours. I felt strong and good. My muscles were not sore.However, that evening I was cold and my hands were slightly numb. I asked BletJaw if it seemed cold to him and he said, "Yes." So I decided to ignore it, but then discovered I had a fever.The next morning a patient came in that needed a tooth pulled. He was in agony and had to put pressure on his tooth in order to bear the pain. I thought I could pull it out quickly and easily, but it was a premolar with 2 roots. When I pulled on it, the tooth and one root came out but the other root broke off.I looked at BletJaw and said, "I just want to throw up."He looked shocked, but there was nobody else to help me. I had to finish the job. After much digging, the root piece came out, and a very grateful and happy man received his follow-up instructions and went home. My temperature was now over 102 degrees and I felt terrible. "Oh my, I thought, this is unusual. I have been sick only one day the entire 4 years that I have been in Thailand."I did not expect this to last long, but I was wrong! My temperature soared up past 104 degrees. Then I stopped keeping track of it. My stomach would not accept any food and my muscles, joints and everything in me was exceedingly painful.Sunday morning BletJaw told me that I should go to the hospital. We could take the motorbike. But I told him that I could not make it up the mountain. Nurse that I am, I had myself all diagnosed. I was certain that I had Dengue fever. This disease is caused by a virus, therefore no antibiotic can help. The hospital can do nothing for it. I might as well let the sickness take its course and wait it out right here.But by Sunday afternoon, I had blood in my urine. Now I was concerned because a complication of Dengue Fever is hemorrhaging. But I was puzzled because that comes on the 4th day of illness and this was only my 3rd day of being sick. Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever is very dangerous and often fatal.Sunday night the sky dumped water. It was not just pouring rain, it was like the eye of the storm throughout the entire night. In the morning BletJaw said to me: "Will you go?""Oh my, BletJaw," I said, "How can a motorbike get up that mountain after all that rain?"I lay there on my bed thinking about how impossible it all was. Then a sudden thought struck me as if spoken out loud: "You are being stubborn."Oh yes, I thought, I am being stubborn. BletJaw always gives me wise advice and I am not listening to him. Most importantly I have not prayed and asked God what He wants me to do."Oh dear Lord, I prayed, I have cleared my mind of all my own human thoughts and now I am listening to You. What do You want me to do?"Just then the government school which is right beside us started up the most horrible music. I just cannot stand it because it is on loud speakers and they turn up the volume very loud. A teacher was leaving and they were going to have a party! I knew this was my answer, God wanted me to go."OK, Lord - I am going, but You are going to have to help me - please!"I grabbed very little because I could not think. I placed one skirt, my purse and small Bible into my backpack. Already, BletJaw had the motorbike out and was taking it up the first treacherous hill alone. I walked. As I picked my way up the muddy slope, I felt God's hand upon me! His voice was in my ear:"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me!"I finally met the motorbike and found that BletJaw had asked the neighbor, SawSay to drive me up the first hour of the mountain. His legs are longer and BletJaw thought he could get me up better.Right off the bat, the chain we used on the rear tire for traction through the mud broke off. Next we wrecked twice! BletJaw was walking behind us and would catch up and help SawSay push the bike up the bad places, while I walked. Walking was almost a peaceful relief compared to the tempest type ride on the back of that motorcycle!The last accident we had was the worst. I was dizzy from my sickness, so when the bike lurched off to the left, then fell into a large rut and hit a rock, I flipped off the back and found myself lying in the mud, as the bike, unable to defy gravity, slid down backwards over top of me! I was helpless to do anything. The back wheel, still spinning, tore off my raincoat.Poor BletJaw! He was just rounding the corner and looked on horrified as he viewed my position under the bike. Miraculously I was unharmed. But just think, how much worse it would have been for me if the chain had not broken off the back wheel earlier?"Thank you Lord," I breathed, "You are still with me. You are my constant Companion!"BletJaw drove after that and I do not remember too much about the rest of the trip, except walking down 2 or 3 muddy descents.Once at the hospital I was shocked to find out that I did not have Dengue Fever. They diagnosed it as Scrub Typhus. Now Scrub Typhus is a viscous disease which comes from the bite of a tiny mite/louse/tick type bug off a rat or other rodent. They live deep in the jungle vegetation, far away from people and villages. The blood test for Scrub Typhus will not show it until the person has been sick for 7 days. But in this area they say that by the 7th day, without treatment, this disease is usually fatal!Praise God I was given Doxycycline on the 4th day. After 2 days on the medication my fever, pain and hematuria were gone! I was only nauseated and dizzy from the medication. I still was not eating.Now my strength is returning. I gave a special thank offering on Sabbath to my Lord. He gave me BletJaw to warn me and help me get out. He took my stubborn will and showed me His will. He held my hand and helped me make it up that mountain and now He is restoring my strength! He has saved my life so that I can continue to work for Him! I will take up my work again with fresh vigor. I will reach the people for God quickly while it is yet day!Oh let us surrender our wills to Jesus at once and leave them there! It is our only safety.“Take Christ for your Guide and He will lead you safely along. The pathway may be rough and thorny and the ascents steep, requiring toil. You may have to press on when weary, when you long for rest. You may have to fight on when faint and hope on when discouraged, but, with Christ as your Guide, you cannot lose the path of immortal life. You cannot fail to reach the exalted seat by the side of your Guide, whose own feet trod the rough path before you, evening the way for your feet.” Our High Calling 25
|
|
|