Answered prayers

Lynette writes on Friday, "Olive had a good day. She is breathing room air, and sleeping lots. Today we started giving her a little milk by mouth through a syringe so that she can practice swallowing."

The Government Hospital is allowing Rusty and Lynette to be with Olive outside of regular visiting hours.

Prayer Request a week ago:
Olive update: "Please pray for the nurses to be able to successfully put an IV in Olive. Her veins are so little and weak that her IV's don't last longer than 1 day. An anesthesiologist tried to put a PICC line in today for 1.5 hours unsuccessfully. She has been poked over 15 times today, and tonight I heard her weak little cry...this is only the second time I've ever heard her cry.

Olive started crying this week when she is in pain or hungry. This has brought us a mixture of great joy and sadness both. She cried when they couldn't get her IV and had to put it into her head. But we are so pleased that she can cry. She was 7 weeks old last Friday. Her brain is slowly starting to grow for which we thank you God.

Our friend Julie, noted one morning last week that she had a vision about Lynette and Rusty.

"the other night while thinking of you i got this picture vividly in my head: you and rusty in the middle of a desert (think dry cracked soil) crazy amount of strong winds were blowing, making it hard to stand and trying to knock you down. every once in awhile rain would be mixed in, (which the land definately needed) but wouldn't stay. but you and rusty were holding hands, standing very strong. it was a lonely, but amazing picture. you guys were so rooted even though God didn't seem visible. i just knew w/out a doubt that God was so pleased w/ you two and how you were trusting and remaining upright in the horrible storm. He loves you. I hope and pray for sunny skies"

I wrote Julie, that this dream came at a time when Rusty was alone with Olive and the two of them were needing to make important decisions about Olive's next move. Lynette had gone back to ChiangRai to close up the house and say goodbye to the hostel children and friends they had lived with when the government hospital bed became available. Earlier, they thought there was a chance to bring her home to the US at the same time.

So, whether you find whether your prayers are answered, when God prompts you to pray for someone, be faithful. Our friends, Bob & Connie, had an older son, Jason who was diagnosed with cancer and expected to die by last December. This week (almost a year later) he was told that he is currently cancer free. WOW! Obviously God decided his mission for Jason on earth was not yet completed. Ever since Lynette's YWAM days, Bob and Connie have prayed for her mission trips, and Lynette has asked them to send their prayer requests to her and she has been praying for Jason.

When the doctors told Lynette that Olive may never walk or talk, or even smile, we were initially devastated. And then I was encouraged as well, because Olive has never quite fit their prognosis. She breathed without the ventilator or oxygen when they expected her to die. The day we expected her to die because her pulse went down to zero and back up for 6 hours, we had all said our goodbyes to her in our hearts. The ChiangRai doctor said she would die if Rusty evacuated her to Bangkok. God is obviously not finished with the mission he has for her life.

So, we continue to watch God do small miracles for Olive. Her brain is starting to grow. She is crying. At least if they give us a prognosis, we will know when God is doing miracles. It is even a MIRACLE to have so many people who don't know Rusty and Lynette pray. I have a cashier at the Grocery store ask about her. This morning in church a friend who doesn't know them well told me she is addicted to Lynette's blog every morning just to see what God is doing for Olive. My neighbor, Bob, checks the blog every morning as well. We feel so blessed to hear the stories of our patients and their frequent interest in Olive's health.