Words

Gerlinde Skaggs, an SIM missionary, was biking in her homeland Germany a little over a year ago and took a simple fall. It was the beginning of an unbelievable saga. Severe brain damage, surgeries, endless therapy, complications, seizures, slight improvements, dashed hopes. How can I summarize more than a year's worth of daily e-mail updates by her loving husband Ben? And who but God could count the ocean waves of prayer that have gone up on her behalf? As recently as 3 weeks ago, she suffered a terrible setback. The end? No. Let me quote Ben's e-mail from Monday 16 October:

"After having given her medicine and having changed her diaper this evening, there was something that she wanted to tell me. I didn't know whether it had to do with turning her on her side, or perhaps rubbing pain cream onto her lower back. I asked her to take a deep breath, and to say it real loud. She almost shouted, "I love you!" I was shocked, as I haven't heard her speak so clearly since her first brain seizure. . . . We laughed together in a moment of relief, at peace with God and with one another just with the blessing of being able to utter and hear those three words. I am telling you that after over a year of struggle and wondering whether either one of us was going to survive, for Gerlinde to be able to say that and be well understood, it was a major milestone in our lives."

I love you! What a message she chose for her first intelligible words! I think that's the message God chooses to give us too. We all say "I love you" to those we love, but I'm wondering whether I say it enough. Maybe I say so many words that the most important message gets lost in the crowd of more trivial communications. I love you.

I am thankful to continue to feel well, even with diminished energy. It's another two weeks to the next chemo and blood test. We keep praying that the mysterious science of this drug Doxil is still attacking those resistant cancer cells. Beyond science, we keep praying for the healing touch of God.

I love you.
Carol