Dondi
Well-Known Member
Ok, I will first have you all know that I debated and prayed and debated some more over whether or not to post this. It is of a personal matter, one that has sent my emotions all kind of directions, yet it is so out of the realm of the ordinary that I feel compelled regale it. Some of you will find some logical explanation of what happened to quell that certain uneasiness that this defies reason. That's ok, you are free to think as you wish. But so far, the only explanation I have is the one that I shall give. It is rather lengthy, but please bear with it.
So here it goes (takes a deep breath):
My wife is from the Philippines. Having met her some 17 years ago while deployed in the Navy, we married and have two daughters. Now if you know nothing about Filipinos, know that they are very family oriented. My wife has 8 siblings (six brothers and two sisters) all living in fairly poor conditions in a small fishing village.
We very recently took our first trip as a familly to the Phillipine Islands (hencefore will refer to PI), due to a sudden turn of the degrading health of her father, who is 81 years old. Many of our friends, family, and fellow church members joined us in prayer for his recovery. We had assumed the worse would happen and quickly made travel arrangements to fly over in early August and stay for about three weeks. Papang, as we call him (meaning father in the native language), suffered from an enlarged heart, high blood pressure, and liver sclerosis (from years of drinking in his younger days. He doesn't drink now). And though his condition looked dire, he actually came out of the hospital just before we began our trip, but was in weakened condition. We expected that he would be bedridden and gaunt and sickly from his illness. But when we got there, Papang was sitting out on the porch, looking healthy as ever and even got up, came over and gave us a tear-filled hug. Well, prayers were answered. But that's not the strange thing....
One of my wife's uncles, whom I'll call Tatay (respected name for an elderly man), was saddened by the fact that his wife suffered a stroke a few days prior to our arrival. Nanay (as I'll call her), was laid up in a local hospital there the next town in a comatosed state. She was not moving at all and pretty unresponsive, except every once in a while she'd open her eyes for just a few seconds and then close right back up. We decided to visit them at the hospital the following Sunday. When we got to the hospital, we met with the family to inquire about her condition and the proceeded to her bedside.
Now since my wife is more familiar with Nanay, I had her speak to her first, in her native language, telling her that we came all the way over from the States to see her and chitchat like that. Then she motioned me over and asked me to speak to her, though I only know English (most Filipinos are able to understand English, even if they don't speak it well). So I told her that we are praying for her recovery and that Tatay wants her to come home.
I don't know why, but all of a sudden Nanay opened her eyes as I was talking to her, and she started staring right at me as I spoke to her. Then my wife began asking in her language if she understood me, and she nodded her head yes, but could not speak. And as we continued talking to her, she began moving her legs around. The rest of the family we as startled as we were that this was happening. She responded to more of my wife's questions and seemed aware of us. Since we just came from church, I decided to sing to her "Seek Ye First", which we sang that morning, and as I was singing, she began to tap her hand on her stomach to the beat of the song. And it occured to me to pray for her salvation, so I started praying for the Lord to save and as I prayed, the more she moved around. Then we asked her if she wanted to be saved and go to heaven, and she nodded yes, so we prayed a prayed to invite Jesus Christ to save her. Then we asked her if she understood what she did, and she nodded yes.
Well, it was time to leave the hospital and said our goodbyes to Nanay and her family. We told the family to keep stimilating her senses, that perchance she could come out of it. But we later got report that she went back to her comotose state almost as soon as we left. She never responded in like manner again.
A few days later, Nanay passed away.
My only explanation for what happened is that God saw Nanay's need for Christ to enter her life. And that God opened up a window of opportunity for us to share the Gospel with her while we were there. Why did He use us? Maybe because no one else told her about salvation through Jesus Christ, and we just happened to be available.
But that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
So here it goes (takes a deep breath):
My wife is from the Philippines. Having met her some 17 years ago while deployed in the Navy, we married and have two daughters. Now if you know nothing about Filipinos, know that they are very family oriented. My wife has 8 siblings (six brothers and two sisters) all living in fairly poor conditions in a small fishing village.
We very recently took our first trip as a familly to the Phillipine Islands (hencefore will refer to PI), due to a sudden turn of the degrading health of her father, who is 81 years old. Many of our friends, family, and fellow church members joined us in prayer for his recovery. We had assumed the worse would happen and quickly made travel arrangements to fly over in early August and stay for about three weeks. Papang, as we call him (meaning father in the native language), suffered from an enlarged heart, high blood pressure, and liver sclerosis (from years of drinking in his younger days. He doesn't drink now). And though his condition looked dire, he actually came out of the hospital just before we began our trip, but was in weakened condition. We expected that he would be bedridden and gaunt and sickly from his illness. But when we got there, Papang was sitting out on the porch, looking healthy as ever and even got up, came over and gave us a tear-filled hug. Well, prayers were answered. But that's not the strange thing....
One of my wife's uncles, whom I'll call Tatay (respected name for an elderly man), was saddened by the fact that his wife suffered a stroke a few days prior to our arrival. Nanay (as I'll call her), was laid up in a local hospital there the next town in a comatosed state. She was not moving at all and pretty unresponsive, except every once in a while she'd open her eyes for just a few seconds and then close right back up. We decided to visit them at the hospital the following Sunday. When we got to the hospital, we met with the family to inquire about her condition and the proceeded to her bedside.
Now since my wife is more familiar with Nanay, I had her speak to her first, in her native language, telling her that we came all the way over from the States to see her and chitchat like that. Then she motioned me over and asked me to speak to her, though I only know English (most Filipinos are able to understand English, even if they don't speak it well). So I told her that we are praying for her recovery and that Tatay wants her to come home.
I don't know why, but all of a sudden Nanay opened her eyes as I was talking to her, and she started staring right at me as I spoke to her. Then my wife began asking in her language if she understood me, and she nodded her head yes, but could not speak. And as we continued talking to her, she began moving her legs around. The rest of the family we as startled as we were that this was happening. She responded to more of my wife's questions and seemed aware of us. Since we just came from church, I decided to sing to her "Seek Ye First", which we sang that morning, and as I was singing, she began to tap her hand on her stomach to the beat of the song. And it occured to me to pray for her salvation, so I started praying for the Lord to save and as I prayed, the more she moved around. Then we asked her if she wanted to be saved and go to heaven, and she nodded yes, so we prayed a prayed to invite Jesus Christ to save her. Then we asked her if she understood what she did, and she nodded yes.
Well, it was time to leave the hospital and said our goodbyes to Nanay and her family. We told the family to keep stimilating her senses, that perchance she could come out of it. But we later got report that she went back to her comotose state almost as soon as we left. She never responded in like manner again.
A few days later, Nanay passed away.
My only explanation for what happened is that God saw Nanay's need for Christ to enter her life. And that God opened up a window of opportunity for us to share the Gospel with her while we were there. Why did He use us? Maybe because no one else told her about salvation through Jesus Christ, and we just happened to be available.
But that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
