| March 25, 2003
Dear Friends,
Today at noon I returned home after a nine-day rather unexpected
stay in the hospital at the European Medical Center in Moscow.
On Sunday morning, March 16, I began to experience severe stomach
pains. A nasty flu had been about Moscow; I suspected I might
be catching it. After resting I felt well enough to attend an
afternoon worship service, but after the service I knew that I
was not well enough to drive out of Moscow for Narnia Center’s
scheduled seminar on ministry with orphans. So I arranged to meet
the driver at my office and loaded the van with the materials
for the seminar, sent him on his way and went home to sleep off
whatever was bothering me. By Monday morning the pain in my stomach
was constant, but some of the accompanying symptoms one would
expect when getting flu were absent. Laurie and I became suspicious
when we looked up stomach problems in a medical textbook called
Where There is No Doctor. We decided to go see the doctor
at the European Medical Clinic. I took my pajamas and traveling
toiletry kit, just in case I would be staying overnight.
Despite X-rays and a sonogram, the doctors at the clinic could
not diagnose the problem, but they determined that my situation
required surgery, so the preparations began. After four hours
of surgery I was wheeled out to see the smiling faces of my wife
and a number of friends who stopped by to encourage her and see
me. The medical diagnosis was this: a case of diverticulitis causing
the large intestine to burst. Because of severe inflammation,
the large intestine could not be immediately repaired. My surgeon
had to create a temporary colostomy. A month and a half from now
I must undergo surgery again so that the intestine can be sewn
back together and the old system will be back in place.
The past eight days of convalescence have brought me a long way
toward health. But it has not been easy. Here are some of the
things I have learned through this week.
- God gives times like this for a purpose. (This is a thought
that Gary Payton sent to me through Laurie, and these were the
first words that began to shake me out of my grief and deep
frustration the day after surgery.) The eight days of recovery
time in the hospital allowed for lots of quiet reflection on
my life’s purpose and goals.
- When pain is great, a sense of abandonment may be great as
well. We must look to Jesus who underwent the pain of death
for our sake. And still we come up short, because God seems
absent. It is easy to curse our fate at such times, and we need
to regularly ask God for forgiveness when we fail to trust him
in our pain. Although he may seem absent to us, he is never
far away and soon makes himself known. God will not tempt us
beyond our capacity.
- The pain of recovery from internal surgery helped me to see
that all mothers are heroes. We owe our mothers a great debt
for bringing us into this world and caring for us afterward.
They underwent great physical pain to give us life and most
continue to care for us right up to their last days.
- The patient is a member of the healing team. When the patient
takes an active role in making decisions with the doctors and
nurses the sense of progress toward recovery is an encouragement
to all. If the patient passively waits for medical professionals
to do everything for him, the healing process may take much
longer.
- I learned to accept medical care from a completely Russian
medical staff. Although it took place in the European Medical
Clinic, all the doctors and nurses who treated me, including
my surgeon Fyodor Fyodorovich, were Russian. Over the past five
years we have done everything in our power to schedule all possible
medical procedures during our visits to the United States and
keep our visits to medical clinics in Russia to the minimum,
simply because the reputation of medical care here is inferior.
In this case, it was impossible to foresee the need for surgery,
and I saw that God provided for me wonderfully through a highly
competent and totally dedicated team of Russian medical professionals.
I learned to trust and am very grateful for them.
In the meantime, my wife Laurie has worked very hard to take
care of both our children and me. With the help of friends she
was able to pull off a surprise birthday party for Christiana
on Saturday. I was able to attend, since Russian medical practice
allows a doctor to dismiss a patient from the hospital for a few
hours if the doctor feels the patient is well enough.
Finally, the children’s leadership seminar on ministry
with orphans, which I could not attend, was a great blessing to
the sixteen persons who participated in it. I will soon hear details
as I get back in touch with Narnia Center staff members who attended.
Many of your have written to express your love and support during
this time. Thanks for keeping us in your prayers.
Grace and Peace,
Donald Marsden
The 2003 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 94
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