Day 8, Friday Afternoon

After riding the wave of yesterday's amazing (and quick!) answers to prayer, last night was another absolutely rugged night for the MacCallister family.   Early in the evening, chatting with Katie online, there had been enough that had gone so well yesterday that she typed "I can't keep the smile off my face."

But as the deep night fell, along with it came Jerry's fear and anxiety.  Still coming down from the level of morphine he started with to a much lower level of use, instead of now having it on continuous drip, Jerry now asks for it and whomever is with him clicks it into his IV.  The pain in Jerry's neck is pretty intense, so the use of morphine is necessary, but the side effects, mainly these horrendous hallucinations and panic attacks, is causing Jerry to opt out of clicking the drug into his system, which then increases his pain.    

So there are two ways to pray here:  First, pray that the pain in Jerry's neck would be lifted by God and that He, as the great healer, would intervene with Jerry's pain and remove it!  Pray that Jerry would not need to click that morphine and invite the side effects for a visit. And lastly, pray that as night falls tonight, that Jerry's mind and heart would be protected, and in the place of panic and fear, he would experience deep rest and renewal.

Gratefully, today Jerry was able to successfully swallow some ice chips.  So, based on that, the doctors can prescrible some oral sleeping medications to aid him this evening.  Dennis and Katie have also decided that one of them will stay with Jerry each night, which requires literally staying awake all night and standing at Jerry's bedside, while the other sleeps at the hotel.  They will rotate this pattern, and it does mean that Dennis and Katie will be separated for much of the day and night.  

So, on this topic, please pray that Dennis and Katie would get the rest they need.  But beyond that, pray for protection on their marriage.  Pray that they would be great partners to each other, that they would communicate well with each other and protect each other, despite their extreme fatigue.  Pray that they would have keen insight into each other's minds, and that they would be able to connect for some point each day in a way that is meaningful.

As for Jerry himself, he's is holding up as well as he could be, thanks to your prayers.  His closest buddies are with him today, which Katie hopes will encourage him and "lighten" him a bit. While doctors have issued his official diagnosis as a "C4 Quadrapalegic",  he does continue to sense more feeling in his body.  Strange sensations like his fingers are "jingling" (his word),  and he feels something like an electrical shock going down his spine.   The doctors "explain away" these sensations by saying that is brain is "confused" and that the undamaged portions of his spinal cord are attempting to work.  But we want to believe differently, now don't we?  

Please ask God to continue His work in Jerry's body.  Pray that these sensations would be the hand of God, slowly and certainly bringing Jerry's body back to life.  And pray that Jerry would MOVE.  Pray that the doctors would be baffled at the miracle in Jerry's neck and back.  

As we head into the afternoon here, at about the time that I post this blog,  Jerry will be moved from his hospital bed into a wheelchair for the first time.  This is, what Dennis calls, a "Triumphant Moment", as he escapes his hosptial bed for the first time in a week.  Pray that this experience would indeed be triumphant and that the change in persepctive and position would encourage Jerry and bring him hope.

Please also, as you go to sleep tonight, pray mightily for Jerry.  If you find yourself awake in the wee hours of the night, please use that time to pray for God's hand to surround the MacCallisters at that moment.  I am becoming more and more convinced that truly every good thing comes from God, so let's shower him with requests on behalf of the MacCallister family this day.

As we also head into the weekend, the family does ask that visits be kept to very close friends and family only.  But they do need (very much) your comments and continuous encouragement via this blog.  So, keep them coming.  Often.

We do also have a few housekeeping issues to address:

An organizing committee for fundraising will be meeting on Monday, January 12, 7pm here at Redwood Christian Park.  For those of you that have contacted us via this website, I'll send a personal email to you with more details.  But to anyone who is interested or has ideas on how to support this family financially, you are welcome!  If you are unable to attend but have something to offer in terms of ideas, just email me and I will pass that information on to the right person.

Next, our "tinkering" with bank account set ups will be complete very early next week.  So, to all of you wonderful people that have already sent a monetary donation to the MacCallister family, you will be receiving a receipt and a thank you very soon.  All gifts given via the "Donate" button on this site go directly to the Jerry MacCallister Assistance Fund as part of Redwood Christian Park.  Your gifts are tax-deductible, and every single dollar will go directly to the MacCallisters and their practical needs.  If you would like to donate and would prefer to send a check, make it payable to Redwood Christian Park and note the MacCallister Assistance Fund in the memo.  You can mail it to us at 15000 Two Bar Rd, Boulder Creek, CA. 95006.

Again, the response to this blog and to this family and to Jerry's story has been completely overwhelming.  The goodness and love of everyone is amazing, and the gratefulness of the MacCallisters will never end.

Please keep praying, keep hoping, and keep dreaming for Jerry.  The miracle is coming....any day now.

Yours,

Marci

marci@redwoodchristianpark.com