He is in that Quiet Place

This afternoon, I went to my favorite spot- the tree house - at the Maryland campsite, in Banaba, just a short jeepney and a tricycle ride away from the poblacion. The last time I was here was when I was finalizing my module for the Cambodia Translation Seminar. Evelyn and Cesar Estigoy, churchmates, own this huge space, actually a campsite, and they have generously allowed me to spend some quiet time here away from the crowded and noisy bayan.

I needed the quiet so I can spend some time in prayer because tomorrow, my mother is about to decide on whether she's going to have an operation. Her L5 bone has collapsed and the doctors said that she needs a metal on that part of her spine to prevent further collapse and to decompress the area. She is experiencing a lot of pain and she is finding it very difficult to walk. After two years of her radiation therapy in 1997, she began to feel pins and needles on her legs, and soon she needed to walk with a cane. The damage on her spine deteriorated until one cane wasn't sufficient anymore to help her walk. Now she moves around the house in a chair with wheels, and since she was a very active woman, I am so disheartened to see her weaken this way.

There is a chance that the pain will go away 100 percent if she undergoes this major operation on her spine. Then she will be able to walk without pain, at first slowly. She will have to undergo physical therapy after that, and then hopefully, she will be able to regain her strength. We've been undergoing clearance check-ups prior to opeation and all the medical screenings (pulmo, cardio, neuro, MRI, bone scan, ultrasounds) have so far been good. The only high risk factor now is her age. She is sixty nine years old.

I feel that this opeation needs to be done, but I also feel that we can never be really sure about the outcome. Only God, our healer is able to completely heal, and this is my prayer. Tonight, an elder in our church came to pray with us. We have been blessed with friends who know that God alone is our Helper at all times. I am grateful that where I prayed this afternoon, God was with me. Although there was nobody around and I had only my Bible with me, I felt God's company comforting me in that tree house. I know that my prayers have been answered.