I’m back in sunny southern California. I can get out of the house to sit on the porch and get into the car for travel to appointments and church and elsewhere without the assistance of another person to help Randy carry me in my wheelchair up to the car! That was the scenario at our home in West Virginia. I am back to walking, mostly unaided, but use a cane when out and when I need it in the house to take weight off my left leg. Funny (metaphorically speaking…because literally it is not funny) that my “good” leg (the left) is now the “bad” leg. So, really, I have 2 “bad” legs! But I my right leg, which broke and has a surgically placed titanium rod in it, is healing up well, according to the doctor.

I saw my orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Yu, the same one who replaced Randy’s knee 3 years ago when out here, and he gave us the results of my bone scan, letting us see the actual image on the computer. There is “activity” in my left leg which indicates it is possibly healing tiny fractures and is at risk of a break, like my right leg experienced. Not a nice thought. I do not want to go through that again. Surgery to place a rod in the femur would stabilize the bone, however, insurance companies do not pay for those kinds of preventative surgeries. And having seen the claims sent to my insurance for the bills for my medical care in December, there is no way we could pay for such a surgery out of pocket.

So what are the alternatives? Being very, very careful, for one! I am also going the route of nutritional supplementation. And I am avoiding busy places with lots of people such as stores, but I still go to church on Sundays.

But first and foremost I have requested prayer for healing. God is the one who makes medicine “work”; he makes healing possible and actual. This is what the Psalmist was talking about when he wrote in Psalm 33:16-21 (parenthetical comments and emphases mine)—“The king is not saved by a mighty army (though he has one); a warrior is not delivered by great strength (though he has it). A horse is a false hope for victory (though he is used in battle); nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength. Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope for his lovingkindness, to deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. For our heart rejoices in him, because we trust in his holy name.

I believe in seeking the best medical help I can find, just like the king goes to war with a strong, well trained army. But my trust, my hope is not in even the best of medical technology or skill. That in itself will not guarantee my good health. My hope is in the LORD who created us and is the Healer.

When we were in Dr. Yu’s office, the orthopedic surgeon, Randy and I having prayed beforehand for God’s wisdom for the doctor, Dr. Yu asked us to bow our heads and prayed with us for God to give him wisdom and guidance as he sought what was best for me, his patient. We knew this about Dr. Yu from when he treated Randy, and besides his great knowledge and skill as an orthopedic surgeon (he is a doctor for Olympic athletes), we have been greatly impressed with his faith in God, which is very evident, even just walking into his lovely office. There is great comfort for us knowing our doctor, one of the top in his field, humbly seeks the Lord too!

As you have probably figured out by now, my stay in California will be a long one. All this has confirmed in our minds the rightness of Randy’s initial feeling that I should come here for recuperation because it is so much safer than back at our home in West Virginia. We have no idea when my leg will improve, how long it will take. By God’s grace I will have healing and improvement so that my “bad” leg indeed becomes a “good” leg again. We both appreciate your prayers for me, for safety and healing, and for the two of us as we seek the Lord’s wisdom for all the ramifications of my condition.

Randy is back in West Virginia and I do Mustard Seeds work via computer and telephone from here in CA. We will have long periods of separation when he is in WV and I remain here, which is not pleasant for us, but necessary. We remind ourselves other servants of the Lord have suffered much worse, and do suffer worse, in their commitment to serving God and extending his kingdom on the earth. He will give us grace. Pray for us, for you strengthen us by your prayers.

God is at work in McDowell County, WV, and we were this week reminded of it by a public entity asking one of our staff members to hold prayer for and with their employees just this morning. This event served as the reminder that God wants true spiritual revival in the church in McDowell County more than we do! We just get to be a part of what he is doing. God put it into Randy’s heart to begin a prayer campaign to the end that the church would be called back to the Lord and strengthened so that they can and will reach out into their communities to those without hope, without Jesus Christ, loving them into the kingdom of God, training them up in the ways of the Lord. Pray for us and the church in McDowell County.

Jacque