Another Prayer

I received this from our friends in Africa a few weeks ago.

Wow, what a difficult few weeks we have just been through. Some of you already know about Rainalds illness while others it is first time news. Sorry we didn’t contact you sooner but the nature of the condition didn’t allow me to access internet hence my delay. So, you are probably wondering what happened. First of all the good news Rainald is getting better he was in a private clinic in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, for 5 days receiving treatment but is now recovering at a friends house in Lilongwe and we will keep him there till he has regained his strength and has gained weight. Secondly, what was wrong, well we aren’t sure about that but all we know is that he was in a great deal of pain from renal and abdominal cramps. This condition started as diarrhoea and cramping about 4 weeks ago which we thought was a passing bug however it didn’t totally leave even after he received antibiotics. One night while in Karonga we had even to get the doctor to give him a shot of Valium to allow him to sleep as this had become difficult for a number of days. Finally as we realised the condition was getting worse we decided to move him to Lilongwe but we also hesitated as the 8 hr trip in the car would be difficult. But our Father knew that so through a fellow Christian it was organised to fly him to the capital with myself and the children following that same day in the car. On the morning we were to leave things had got worse and it was again decided that I should travel with him and our friends would take care of the children in Karonga till we could arrange transport for them. We praised God as we saw his hand move in helping us. But the help did not stop there. We were driven to the clinic by another man, the airport is about 30km away and left in their care. While there the diagnosis was that Rainald had Giardia, treatment started and we went to stay with other missionary friends. Rainald seemed to be improving but on the second day his conditioned worsened and we were forced to admit him to hospital. Further tests and it showed he had an infection but we didn’t know which type. He had enlarged kidneys and lots of gas in his intestines which caused pain and excessive burping. A new antibiotic, antacid, glucose and electrolytes also pethidine for the pain. Again he started to improve until the 3rd day when he started to get stomach pain. We asked for more pethidine but the doctor wouldn’t give any, the reason for this was, they had run out and had to find some more. This took a few hours and by now Rainald was not good. The next day we took him for further tests at a different clinic and a scan showed that he had very large lymph nodes in his stomach and intestines one was even 6.5cm long. This worried the doctor and we were advised to travel to South Africa for further tests but both of us felt he was improving and that he only had a bacteria that was being killed slowly. One comment here is that there is limited medical help here most cases that are more complex go to south Africa, so getting sick in Malawi is not a good move.
As the days went on Rainald would feel good then not so good remember by now he has been ill for 4 weeks we knew it would take time.
Hospitals are different here to Australia. You have to supply all your own towels, washers and food. So each day I would drive to our friends and make food, have a shower then return to the hospital and sleep there. The children were driven down to us by one of the Lusubilo drivers and they were also looked after by friends. Here we were in a foreign country and the support we received humbled us. People we hardly knew were offering support, friends of friends who were doctors would drop in to give advice and help. Others were there to pay our way if we had to go South. People prayed and God moved he didn’t bring immediate healing but he comforted and strengthened us each day. One such comfort was Sister Beatrice, the director of Lusubilo; she happened to be in Lilongwe when we came down and when she heard that Rainald was not well she never left our side. For 5 days she sat beside his bed praying, talking, sleeping and comforting us. She even wanted to sleep there but we made her rest at her brother’s house. She was amazing and it would have been difficult with out her. Another provision of God was a car to travel around in as I didn’t have one when we got to Lilongwe. And now the most recent provision is a guest house for Rainald and I to stay in while he recovers. It is quiet, comfortable and just what the doctor ordered. The children are still being looked after by another family who we are eternally indebted to, they have such a ministry. They have 4 children of their own, look after another one who schools in the capital and have a young women also living with them as well as my 4. Their household is crazy but great and we always feel so welcome, these people will receive a large crown for their support. Other comforts have been all the phone calls, emails and text messages of support and prayers. We felt at all times held up in Gods hands with his wings around us.
So there you go, even though we are not sure of what Rainald had we praise God that he is recovering. We know it will be slow but it will happen. Please continue to pray as Rainald has lost a lot of weight and at present the only thing he can eat is Paw Paw all other food still upset his stomach. Also pray that he will continue to recover and be brought back to full strength. It’s funny how you think about things in such a crisis, at no time have we felt to go back to Australia for help. We feel at peace that this is where God wants us and going back is not an option as long as we can still stay here we will. People need us, God has led us and this is where we will stay until He moves us on. Rainald has only begun Gods work here and he has much to accomplish, God willing. We know satan isn’t happy about what we are doing so he will throw everything he can at us for us to leave so we continue to pray that no weapon formed against us will prosper and this will be the case as others also join with us in prayer.
So thank you all for your support, your love and most of all your prayers.
Your Sister in Christ,
Jennifer
PS I have just read this to Rainald and he feels that his real condition was not highlighted enough. He was really sick in a lot of agony; he had many, many sleepless nights walking the floor in pain. He has taken so much medicine that he feels that is now poisoning his system even though it is also helping. When the gas tries to escape he burps for hours and this really tires him and hurts. He feels weak from lack of food, and was dehydrated from not drinking. Still at this stage any food bar paw paw makes him cramp so he avoids them. Many times his spirit was so low he didn’t know if he could go on. His arms and hands hurt from all the needles and intravenous medication. Right now he is a little better as he had a good day though tired. How am I going, alright as long as I can do something and as long as I see him getting better. Not so good when he is in pain or getting weaker also it is hard to be making all the decisions especially when they could be critical. I don’t know maybe we should take him south. But that would also be hard as the trip is big and everything down there is foreign. Also would they find out what’s wrong????? He is sick of tests and only wants to get better.
I received this email today.

It is with a heavy heart that I have to share the news about Rainald. Today we were informed that he has two tumours in his left testicles. This sadly brings an end to our time in Malawi as we can not get a full diagnosis here or treatment, so we plan to fly out as soon as we can get a flight which may be not until the 6th October. He also has another complication that of benign malaria which hides in his liver and can surface when conditions are right. This apparently happened in the last few weeks hence the sever gastro intestinal problems. He has to have regular pain relief to manage each day but he is getting by. At present we are still in Lilongwe where we will keep Rainald till the flight out, Daniel will stay with him while Jessica, Dean, Emily and our friend David from Zambia drive to Karonga to pick up our personal items and say goodbye to all our Lusubilo Family. This will be a hard time as all of us are grieving having to leave here. It was only a few weeks ago that we all made the decision to stay another year, now we have to leave and it is a big shock. For us there is only one way to deal with this news and that is to bring it before God and trust he will guide us through the medical maze we are about to enter. We questioned why us? These things happen to other people but not us. Then after much pray and thought the question changed why not me? Each day in our village we see funerals and death go by; each day our neighbours or friends bury someone close to them. They morn, they grieve and then they get on with their lives. Death and illness is as common as life itself. So my thought was that if they can cope with these things daily I can also. For us life is not just about being here on earth but also about having peace with our God who created us and knows our days. The bible says that He will never allow something to happen to us that we can not handle, so therefore God must find us strong enough to weather this storm. I am not saying that Rainald will leave us but what I am saying is that we are ready for anything. I am not saying that it will be easy but I know that we will make it through. This type of condition plagues many and now it is our turn.
So I ask you all to continue to uphold us in prayer, write to us, ring us and talk to us. This will be what we need when we are having a rough day. Also concerning the children we can only get them a flight two weeks after us so they will stay with friends here till the 20th. It will be hard for them to be here while we are in Australia not being able to see their Dad or to know what is happening each day. So pray also for them, they are strong and know we have to leave but this doesn’t mean they will like it. They have made good friends and love this country as much as we do, it will be hard to leave and when it is hard to leave somewhere it is also hard to return to a place you just don't want to be. So if you see them love them and encourage them to be strong, they will need it.
So there you have it our latest news, sorry it is not about some great adventure we went on or how Rainald has made an impact in some village or how our youth bible studies are teaching young people about the Lord. Nevertheless it is what is happening in our lives so goodnight we are off to bed and we will talk again in the morning.
Love Jennifer Rainald Daniel Jessica Dean & Emily Mvula
Please keep this family in your prayers.