Surgery

We are in the middle of a deep challenge.

Jaya Oliver - our dear friend and past-colleague from JSK - has just undergone surgery. As we were praying for her - Enoch prayed: "Lord, help the surgeon to be a dependable man. Help him to be nice." The prayers of many across our city and around the world are focussed on the Jaya at this time.

Our sister needs it. Yesterday she suffered excruciating abdominal pain. It is just horrible to see a person you love in so much pain. We were able to admit her at Lok Hospital where they found that she had stones in her gall bladder. This morning the decision was taken to operate - to do a laproscopic removal of the gall bladder.

The surgery started at 4.30 this afternoon. Sheba was with Jaya before the surgery started and with Oliver and others from the church.

I just got a call which was not what I was hoping to hear. The surgeon came out to tell Oliver that he has found an unexpected mass. Because of this it is not possible to removed the gall bladder as hoped for. He is thus closing the cut and sending samples from the mass for biopsy as well as conducting CT scans etc. to understand the next steps.

This is heart-breaking stuff. We were hoping for a clean cut and then out. But now we face a whole further set of unknowns.

Pray for Jaya's husband Oliver and for their daughters Stuti and Arpana. It looks like they have a very challenging road ahead of them as a family.

Sheba is with Jaya now as she will be coming out of the anaesthesia - and will have to break the news to her that all is not as we had hoped. Life has some very challenging steps for all of us.

One thing we do know: He never lets go of our hands.

We must trust. One of our prayer partners sent us this verse late last night:
For I will restore you to health, and I will heal you of your wounds,' declares the Lord. Jeremiah 30:17