This “report” was written when my father was hospitalized after a fall which caused a concussion in his head…
Currently, my father is in critical condition. There seems to be no change in his situation. It seems that the convulsions that he experienced may have done further damage to his brain, especially the left part of the brain. This has affected the right side of his body, and its movements. Nevertheless, his whole body seems to lack any movement. When we call him, he only opens his eyes, and nothing more.
The Nephrologist and Neurologist are working together on a solution (a Cardiologist is also involved), but if by this weekend, the situation does not improve, there is nothing more that could be done for him. At that point, he may be moved to a regular room from the ICU for Palliative care. A special thanks to all who are praying for us at this difficult time. Pray especially for us that we will be able to make wise decisions at the appropriate time. Also, do not feel compelled to call us on the phone…an email (or a comment on this blog) notifying us that you are praying for us is sufficient. Again, thanks for backing us up with your prayers.
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The operation went well. I spoke to the doctor just a minute ago. He said that at least 90% of the clotted blood has been removed. The bleeding was not in the brain, just within the skull. The rest of the blood that is left will be drained out gradually, and if necessary, they will need to go in again and remove more. He is responding well, but still weak from the surgery. His response is not fully normal, but that will take some time. There were various complicating factors such as his age, kidney problems, diabetes, blood pressure, and other items. The doctors were not able to give him general anesthesia, so only local anesthesia was given. He is still in the ICU. Let’s pray that he will recover quickly.He needs to be hospitalized for at least two more weeks to get things settled. The irony is that he has been going to this same hospital three times per week for dialysis. The one hour plus drive there is quite a drain for him at his age and his condition. But this is the closest hospital with a full time Nephrologist on staff. Kerala, with 31.8 million people, has only 15 nephrologists for the entire state. That is quite an alarming situation, and that affects the care given to the patients. Most doctors leave the country and go abroad for work.
For the next month, the blood thinning medicines cannot be used for him, which makes his dialysis more difficult. They say that this may result in less quality of the purification of the blood that takes place through the dialysis.
Thanks again for your prayers.
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So the waiting continues as the results of my dissertation will only come in March. As my work has been completed, Annie began her dissertation in January. She is planning to finish within two years. In the mean time, we were involved in several other exciting things.
On the 2nd of January, we both taught at a seminar for Sunday School Teachers from a group of churches called PMG Church. All of the PMG churches from the Trivandrum, Kerala area gathered for this training event. As far as I can remember, this is a first for us doing some “team teaching” outside of our local church setting. Their response was good, and of course, we hope it benefited them.
During January 5-11, we had the convention and graduation at Faith Theological Seminary. The convention lasts for the entire week, and the graduation was on Friday morning, with 85 students graduating. It is great to have watched these students develop spiritually, theologically, and as individuals during their time here.
The following week, our friends from the Delhi Vineyard came and visited us. Our acquaintance goes back to our first week in Florida (1992) as we were about to begin planting the Sunrise Vineyard Christian Fellowship. They stayed with us in our home in Kerala and visited a few of the Carecells and spoke at the missionary chapel at Faith Theological Seminary. On Sunday, he spoke at the church in both of the services. Their stay and ministry among us was a blessing to us.
Nathan has his final exams for the 9th standard, and Sharon will begin her exams next week. For Nathan, he will be going on to the 10th after his exams. This school finishes the 9th early so they can begin the classes for the next year early. Their plan is to get them prepared for some major examinations that come up after the 10th grade.
Please pray that we will stay faithful to the call upon our lives. Thanks for your prayers for us as we endeavor to be faithful in the work God has entrusted to us.
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After five years of work, my thesis is finally complete. I sent it yesterday, 30 November 2008. For the last few months, I have been intensely focusing on this work. I am sure that you figured out that the picture above is the table I’ve been using for study purposes. As a result of this work, many things have been put aside, such as emails, phone calls, and of course, this blog. I would like to share with you just the preface from the thesis given below:
Preface
More than just an academic exercise, the work on this thesis has been a personal journey as well. Interacting with the character of Jacob has opened up many thoughts regarding life and how we live it. Jacob is depicted as a man who kept moving regardless of the turbulent circumstances he faced at every turn. Through the rich traditions handed down to us, Jacob’s life speaks volumes…reminding us that there is hope in the midst of hopelessness.
Most of the time spent on this academic pursuit was done with the normal load of everyday life: Teaching at Faith Theological Seminary, pastoring Lifetime Church, Missions in North India, and of course family life. Therefore this final production is the result of a few years of interaction not only with the literature mentioned in the Bibliography, but also with all the burdens of a full-time schedule. For me it has been a process of learning and developing in every area.
In addition to the normal, there was the unexpected. For over two years, my mother battled with Cancer, and finally passed away on 26 March 2007. In essence, about half of the time spent on my studies involved constant hospital visits which required a four hour one-way drive each time. Also in 2007, we dealt with my father’s kidney failure, and the subsequent dialysis three times a week. My father-in-law’s life and ministry was certainly an inspiration to me as he is quite adept in handling numerous responsibilities.
Special thanks are due to my promoter Dr. Willem Boshoff. I was simply blessed not only as a result of his great insight into the areas of my research, but also because of his accessibility and patience with me during the last few years of study. The library staff at UNISA has been gracious in their timely response to requests for books and articles.
I wish to express my gratefulness to the administration of Faith Theological Seminary for granting me flexibility in my schedule and a lighter teaching load during the years of my study, especially during the last two years while I focused more on my thesis. Adoor Vineyard Church also felt the burden as I backed off from many things and became less accessible to the people, especially during the last few months. Along with church members, many friends and family also encouraged and prayed diligently.
My family certainly had a prominent role and put up with so much during the years of my study. A special appreciation to my wife Annie for her prayerful understanding and willingness to carry a heavier load at home as my focus turned to my thesis (as she also began her doctoral studies during this time). In fact, even during the early years of our marriage, I sat there for hours without end translating Hebrew and Greek texts. Both our children Nathan and Sharon were faithful to pray for me daily and were an encouragement to me. They would constantly ask me “how many pages have you finished, Daddy?”
Of course, most importantly, I thank my God (the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) for enabling me to complete something I thought would never be possible.
Alexi E. George
Adoor, Kerala, India
November 2008
http://www.yourBarnabas.com
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This “hi-tech” device pictured here is intended for my back pain. That bag contains four kilos of sand to provide a consistent traction to my back, by way of a belt strapped around my waist. The MRI report shows that I have three disks that are bulging.
Problems with my back began in 1996 on the highway from Fort Lauderdale to Miami, FL. I was half-way to my destination on I-75 when a sudden excruciating pain flashed through my back to the rest of my body. Within seconds, the pain was taken over by feelings of fear since I had no idea what was happening to me. I could barely move my legs, and somehow, I got the vehicle pulled over to the side of the road. I finished that day of work just suffering through the day with the severe pain. Since then, these bouts of pain would return periodically. But in the last two years, it has been more frequent. Of course, our challenging road conditions here in India would add to the problem, especially for a back that is not used to such roads.
So far, the best solution is rest and traction for my back. After the pain is gone, I would need to resume my lower back exercises and walking. God’s work shouldn’t be limited with back problems. I’ve got to do whatever it takes! -
It was an early morning flight out of Dallas on my way to San Jose. Expecting the flight to be lengthy, and knowing that breakfast would not be served, I purchased breakfast from one of the terminal shops. The cashier gave me my breakfast in a brown paper bag with my choice of Orange Juice.
As I entered the aircraft and walked to my seat, I was a bit confused about my seat number. Before boarding, I had looked at my boarding pass and noticed that my seat number was 6C, which I presumed to be a bulk-head seat on the front row of the economy class. To my surprise, I realized that I was bumped up to a first class seat, which occasionally happens because of my mileage accrued with constant flights. That’s when I remembered that the first class section serves meals to the passengers unlike the economy seats where only beverages are served.
So I settled down in my first class seat with my brown paper bag of breakfast. Soon after take-off, I proceeded to eat my breakfast sandwich as the flight attendant proceeded to prepare the meals for the first class passengers. It was after I finished my sandwich that I was offered the “first class” breakfast. It was certainly not like mine. They served it on a tray draped with a nice cloth that gave it a classy look. As the breakfast was offered to me, I pointed to my brown bag and said “no thanks.” Thus I sat there watching the others eat a nice breakfast while I sat there with my brown bag.
I took out my boarding pass and noticed the words “FIRST” written in bold capital letters. Although the printing was clear and obvious, I somehow failed to recognize its value. I didn’t expect to be in first class. Instead, I went through the trouble of purchasing my own breakfast when a better one was already provided for me.
Our life often transpires in a similar fashion. We all have sinned and carry the burden of the guilt for many years; even those who have accepted Christ. As we go on in life, the weight of the guilt gets heavier. Its impact on our life becomes more obvious as it affects our attitudes and thought patterns, which in turn affects our behavior. We do many things to deal with the symptoms, but we don’t recognize that it is a burden of guilt.
Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). He goes on to specify that it is rest for our souls. He said these words in the context of repentance from sins. When we are burdened with the guilt of sin, it is our soul that carries the weight. This is why we often don’t recognize what’s really happening to us. We may claim that it is bad luck, bad circumstances, bad relationships, or a host of other possibilities.
Jesus is the only one who can take away the burden of guilt from our souls. If we go to him and confess our sins, he promised that he would take away that burden of guilt. So what is that you’re carrying in your brown paper bag? Your own solution to your burdens? Now is the time to give that up and accept the forgiveness and rest that Jesus offers for your soul. -
For several months now, my blogging has been on hold for quite a good reason. This is my fourth year working on a doctoral program with the University of South Africa. The time has come to finish my Dissertation. I am only 1/3 of the way on my writing. All the foundational work has been done, and it is just a matter of separating the time to write.For those who might be interested, I’m working on the D.Th. degree in Old Testament. My focus is on the Pentateuch, specifically, I’m researching the five times that Jacob the patriarch has set up altars and worshiped. The title of my dissertation will be Canaanite Influence on Israelite Worship. I hope to finish by the end of February. Maybe afterwards, I’ll resume my regular blogging.
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After my mother passed away, we all experienced a season of changes. Of course, that is expected, but this is my first experience of such drastic changes. We had planned before my mother’s death to move to the town where my wife and I work, but a few weeks after my mother’s death, my father changed his plans and decided to stay alone, and not come with us. This move has become ever more challenging because of his decision, but we had no choice. We were really wanting to take care of him till his passing also, as we did for my mother, but that may no longer be the case.Our plans and expectations never work out as we desire, but God’s ultimate plan begins to unfold as we take each step. Thanks to all my 360 friends for all your prayers.
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After two years of fighting cancer, my mother passed away on 26 March 2007.She died peacefully in the hospital room while we were praying. The funeral will be
held in our home in Pathanapuram on Wednesday at 9am.
Mummy had a heart for God, and always shared that with others. While in New York, she
began a prayer group for ladies from numerous churches, and that prayer group still
continues. After coming to India, she was always involved in prayers. She was
constantly reading the Bible and other literature, regularly taking notes on everything
she read. Her father (my grandfather) had an impact on me and gave me a love for the
Scriptures, and she impacted us with her prayer life. She was always supportive of us
in the ministry.
She has gone to a better place, to be with Jesus. Thank you for your prayers.
Blessings,
Alexi, Annie, Nathan, Sharon -
The story was told by Ernest Hemingway about a Spanish father and his teenage son. The relationship between the father and son was never smooth. In fact, the father considered the son as a rebellious one. After some time, his son, Paco (a common name for Spanish people), ran away form home. His father began searching earnestly to find his son. All his efforts seemed to be of no benefit. Finally, as a last hope, he sent an advertisement to the city newspaper, hoping that his son would respond to his father’s plea.
This was the content of the advertisement:
Dear Paco,
Please meet me in front of the newspaper office at noon. All is forgiven.
Love,
FatherHemingway tells that on the next day at noon, there were 800 Pacos waiting in front of the newspaper office. They were all wanting to get forgiveness from their fathers. What a tragic image of the nature of people. We all face difficulties and burdens in our lives. For many, the solution of choice is to run. Often we run from people, circumstances, and responsibilities. Many are running, and they don’t realize it. They think that if they keep running, things will be resolved.
Just as the Spanish father put the advertisement in the paper, the heavenly Father spoke through the “Law and the Prophets” (Old Testament-Bible). Yet, when the people would still not listen, he sent his only Son to personally bring us the message. On Christmas day, two thousand years ago, Jesus came into the world to not only bring us the message of forgiveness, but also to provide the way for us. What an awesome thought to know that we have a Father in Heaven who is willing to give up everything, for us to know that he loves us and that he wants us to be in union with him.
This Christmas season, the message is clear – the heavenly Father says “please meet me at the cross. All is forgiven. Take it! That forgiveness is yours.
-The story compiled from the site www.gospelcom.net
yourBarnabas.com 