November 27, 2007

Dear Friends in far-away lands,

October in Thailand was a time for university teachers to give exams, grade exams, send or defend grades, take a deep breath while the students were away for semester break, and begin writing lesson plans and organizing for second semester. I’d like to tell you a couple of true tales—one from recent times and one from a few years ago. I hope they convey to you that God is answering your prayers for me in both the physical and the spiritual realm. As always, thank you for your support and prayers!

Under the knife

In August, the doctor who had been treating me unsuccessfully with antibiotics sent me to an ENT specialist who thought that the mysterious lump on the back of my neck should be examined by biopsy. I was fairly confident about the procedure: I had had biopsies done before and was comfortable going under the sedating medicine and had drifted off to la-la land easily to awaken many hours later still feeling blissful. Not so in Thailand. The price is right here, but “local anesthesia” means a little something to numb the immediate area. And for me it was not numb enough. I was trying to lie very still with my neck cranked at an odd angle, and several times I was ready to cry out in pain but I didn’t think I should move my jaw. In spite of my trying to stay very still for the doctor and his knife, the table I was lying on kept jerking or bumping. At first I thought it was the nurses bumping into it, but later I decided that it must be part of the mechanism that had raised the table to the height the doctor wanted. The bumping table was worrisome enough but then something like an electric shock zapped me. My left shoulder  (the one closest to the doc) jerked uncontrollably. I really wanted to tell the doctor that I had not done that on purpose, but then, I thought I shouldn’t be talking. It happened again, and again.

After the third time, he said (in Thai), “Don’t worry, I’m just working very close to a nerve here.” ( Don’t worry?!) Another comment he made after awhile was, “Now that’s bone.” He was addressing me, so I got brave and spoke one word, “Bone?” I couldn’t imagine that the lump in my neck was being caused by a bone, unless my spine was expanding horizontally at an amazing rate. The surgeon thought I didn’t understand his Thai, so he translated into English, “I’ve cut all the way down to the bone, and there’s nothing there.” Another worrisome moment occurred when the two nurses gasped in unison. What did they see? What surprised them? Something abnormal? Something dangerous? Little worms crawling out of my spine? I’ll never know. The report said there is no cancer, no infection, just an enlarged lymph gland. So, hallelujah, I can live with that.

Bible lessons for me

“There’s no way this is going to be worthwhile,” I grumbled as I hurriedly pushed some clutter off the desk that we would use for Bible study. My weekly student (J), a Thai new Christian who wanted to study the Bible in English, had invited a mutual friend (T) to join us for the lesson. T was Filipino, Catholic, and quite a bit younger than J and I. “We’re coming from three countries, three religious backgrounds, three languages, and probably three different reasons for gathering tonight.” T had requested that we start a half-hour earlier than I had intended, so now I found myself without even time to pray for wisdom or energy to face the evening. J arrived before the appointed hour, but T was at least a half-hour late, so I added “three concepts of time” to my list.

Once the greetings were behind us, we crowded around my little desk and an easy-English Bible. The passage was about Jesus helping a woman whom we decided must have been depressed by her circumstances. The word “depressed” resonated with all of us. I said something about having been depressed recently and having found a counselor. T expressed amazement that I had been blue and immediately launched into sharing her distress about her current life situation. J quickly spoke up about her own depression in the past and how she had fought it. The conversation quickened us into concern for each other. At one point, I sat back and marveled. I had not planned this or engineered it. We were sharing precious secrets with each other, and the spirit seemed so very present and personal. Our prayers at the end of the evening were fervent and hopeful. As I said goodbye to my friends, who now felt like sisters, I was feeling completely stunned at how the time had been so fruitful and meaningful. I was sure that the worthwhile evening had not been my doing. It had to be the Spirit’s doing. Praise to the Lord for leaning down and letting the Spirit do precious work even in the home of a pessimistic, grumbling teacher. Just last week J contacted me. I had not seen much of her in the last two years, as she was busy opening a business and then pursuing a college degree. Now she has finished all those projects and wants to begin her English Bible lessons again. She even plans to bring along another friend.

As I sit in Chiang Mai writing letters, several of my missionary friends have just completed speaking in PC(USA) churches as part of Mission Challenge ’07. I hope that their messages ring clear and that the churches respond by budgeting adequately for missionaries to continue their work across the world. Please pray with me that it will be so. My own itineration time will be coming in the summer and fall of ’08. If your church or small group would like to have me as a mission speaker next year, I would love to hear from you. Meanwhile, I pray that your Christmas holidays will be filled with the light and joy of knowing that our Lord has been in this very world, redeeming us by living with us and for us—even now, even today.

Blessings,

Annette George

The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 119