Johannesburg: Refreshing Words...

Ulo (my sister) called me and really ministered to me telling me the following:

- God, In His infinite mercy, chose Kechi, my child, for what He is doing at this time, and has strengthened me so that others will draw strength from me.

- This situation is bigger than Kechi and I. It is a whole new birthing process and God is showing, through everything that has happened, that His hand is in this and His name WILL be glorified.

- I would have to remain deep in the womb of prayer and supplication, abiding in his Word, and drawing strength from Him. I could not waver, could not afford to.

- We should realize that we were privileged to be a part of this move of God.

- Every birthing comes with pain, which is what we were going through then. But sorrow only endures through the night and joy comes in the morning.

- It was understandable that I felt low looking at Kechi just lying there, unmoving, but I would have to look beyond what I was seeing and look forward to the glory of God that will be revealed through her when her work in God begins.

Ulo said so many other things that ministered to my soul, and I was calm. I thanked God for the uncommon wisdom He had bestowed on Ulo. I knew that it was right to tell her what I was feeling.

To be continued...

Johannesburg: Still Human and So Alone...

So why was I still feeling this heaviness that should not have existed? I sent up a prayer for the Lord to fill me with His joy. I was still feeling shaky when, a few minutes into my visit with Kechi, a lady in the room next to Kechi tapped on the glass partition and signed for me that she was praying for me. She was there to visit the patient in the room who was probably her husband and who, as far as I know, had been either unconscious or sedated since he was brought in.

I was moved to tears at her compassion for a stranger even though she was in a similar situation but I managed to hold on to some control until I got to the waiting room. Once I got there, especially when I saw other patient's relatives surrounded by their families and friends, I sobbed my eyes out. For the first time, I felt alone and far from my family.

After I finally managed to pull myself together, I finished my visit (they had asked me to leave so they could take some x-rays).

But I needed help so I sent Ulo a text. As if on cue, Obi called from London and when I told him how I was feeling, he told me to look for ways to distract myself. (How like a man to think that all I needed to do was to go out and play ball or something!). I assured him that I would not let myself get so low again...

To be continued...

Johannesburg: God Was Always In Full Charge...

I was getting very worried about my accommodation arrangements as the hotel had informed me that Int'l SOS had not extended my stay past Saturday the 17th. I called ISOS several times and they kept promising to call back but they never did. When I called yet again, they said they had called the hotel and spoken to a lady called Pauline. When I got home that night, Pauline had left, but had noted that my stay was only extended to the next day.

I called Mike and asked him to call Dr. Moses and find out what the situation was. I also called Mom and Ulo and we were throwing ideas back and forth when suddenly it hit me! Everything had been done by God so far, with no input by any of us. Why were we now getting involved? Were we trying to help Him? I immediately repented of my sin of lack of trust and sent texts to Ulo and Mom to do the same. Then I let go and let God.

The next day, December 20^th (day 9 after the plane crash), I got out of bed later than usual. It had rained in the night and was quite chilly that morning. I had not realized how chilly until I went outside and discovered that my denim jacket was inadequate.

On my way past the front desk that morning, I spoke to Pauline and she said that ISOS had extended my stay and that the lady who called from their office said Pauline should tell me not to panic, my welfare was their responsibility. 

I immediately bowed my head and thanked God for His grace. I had disobeyed by doubting; repenting, I asked for forgiveness and His grace filled me...

To Be Continued... In the meantime, do not forget this:

“…for the Lord will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard.”

Isaiah 52 : 12b (NKJV)

Johannesburg: The Hand Over...

The trauma physician, Dr. Plani, had informed me that he was handing Kechi over to another physician who would now take care of her since she was now out of immediate danger, and thus no longer a trauma patient. 

Dr. Pahad was an internal medicine physician and I took to him as soon as we were introduced because there was a certain calmness about him that soothed me. I trusted him immediately. He was with Kechi when I returned to her room to visit. In response to my enquiries about her healing, he said that her lungs and kidneys are fine and he was pleased with her progress. He said that Kechi was in a much better state than she was when she came in, but I should talk to the plastic surgeon for details about the condition of her burns.

Needless to say, this was good news for me. I was happy that her doctor was pleased with her recovery. I just wanted to prostrate and thank God and tell Him that indeed my eyes had seen, my ears had heard, and my mouth would talk about His goodness for the rest of my life and unto eternity! 

He is an awesome God.

To Be Continued...

Johannesburg: Assuring Words; Wise Counsel...

I had been warned that there would be ups and downs in Kechi's recovery process. I just needed to stay strong. “Dear Lord”, I prayed, “Please infuse me with Your joy. Joy belongs to You and Your joy is my strength. Amen.”

During the afternoon visit later that day, Kechi again reacted to the sound of my voice. She tried to open her eyes and started to move her lips. I could sense her frustration and tried to calm her down. Eventually, the nurse had to give her the muscle relaxant and she calmed down. I sang to her again as always before leaving.

Pat's friend, Noni, visited when I was in the waiting room and assured me that she and the rest of her church were praying for Kechi and she promised to visit again soon. 

There was a certain calmness I felt about Kechi's condition that day. It was very reassuring to me that she recognized my voice, although she got agitated. 

When I spoke to Ulo later, she said I should reassure Kechi that even when she did not hear my voice, she should know that I was nearby, ready to be with her the second visiting time came around. She also suggested I should tell Kechi the visiting times and start each visit by telling her, “It's 4pm and I'm here”. That way, Kechi would know that sometimes I was in the room with her and at other times, I was nearby. This made a lot of sense to me and I adopted it from the very next visit...

To Be Continued...